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Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

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Re: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

#101
post #2

I am not really surprised. I had the bad luck to buy a Sonos soundbar right when the new app was launched. I'd never seen the old app but all I knew was the thing was unusable. I had to return the soundbar.

What issue(s) did you have with it?

I don't recall details but connection issues, the app freezing. I just gave up and returned it. The thing was the app was so hard to use and didn't work right that I just figured Sonos products were crap (this was the first I'd ever used) and gave up.

Re: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

#103
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, with that resume he should get a new gig in no time!

Not if they do a quick internet search and find this thread.

Or literally any other news about RIM or Sonos.

Re: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

#104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One reason that CEOs get good severance packages is to entice them to leave other successful companies. If they are doing well at those other companies, are well liked by the board, and can reasonably expect to make a lot of money, why should they leave that safe, lucrative situation to come to your company, where there's a higher risk of failure or of falling out with the board? Enter the severance package. It guara…

That's a great explanation for signing bonuses. Doesn't do much to explain severance packages though? Unless the board wants to give a signing bonus, but the amount is so egregious the shareholders would riot, so they need to do it by stealth.

Severance packages are usually negotiated from a position of power. You want me? Great, I'd like a 2M golden parachute.

If everyone they interview agrees to play the same game (and they do), it becomes a "necessity to attract top talent".

Re: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One reason that CEOs get good severance packages is to entice them to leave other successful companies. If they are doing well at those other companies, are well liked by the board, and can reasonably expect to make a lot of money, why should they leave that safe, lucrative situation to come to your company, where there's a higher risk of failure or of falling out with the board? Enter the severance package. It guara…

That's a great explanation for signing bonuses. Doesn't do much to explain severance packages though? Unless the board wants to give a signing bonus, but the amount is so egregious the shareholders would riot, so they need to do it by stealth.

Yes, if you're an executive being lured away from your current position, both signing bonuses and severance packages will serve as insurance against your new position not working out. But, if you're on the board that's trying to lure an executive away, you should prefer severance packages to offer this insurance because you don't have to pay out until the relationship falls apart, and if you've chosen your new executive well, the relationship won't fall apart.

Re: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What issue(s) did you have with it?

I don't recall details but connection issues, the app freezing. I just gave up and returned it. The thing was the app was so hard to use and didn't work right that I just figured Sonos products were crap (this was the first I'd ever used) and gave up.

I'm fascinated by the dichotomous view on them. I love my setup, haven't had more than the usual connecting-headless-device-to-wifi problems, use them every day as an alarm clock, am listening to them right now...

I guess I use the macOS app more than iOS, which might contribute?

Re: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

#107
post #100
post #19

They violated the "Things You Should Never Do, Part I" rule: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you-should-... It's such a TEMPTING rule to violate... The amazing part was how BAD it went, supposedly engineers were raising every red flag possible that it wasn't ready and still they did it. Considering how bad it was I can't imagine having any faith in anyone up the chain of command having the power, or…

I've been a part of a few successful rewrites, one definitely larger than what Sonos did. We should let go of some of the JoS dogma. Failed rewrites are the result of mismanagement, not because rewrites are inherently bad.

This kind of implies that a rewrite requires better management than just sticking with the existing codebase. It's still a pretty strong reason not to do a rewrite unless you're 1000% sure the organization can handle it.

Re: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wifi streaming is great if it's easy, but for me, Sonos makes it hard. My spouse uses the speakers pretty often, but even the old app wasn't great, and I gave up on it. Why can't I just cast the music from my Youtube music app? Why do I have to connect Sonos to Youtube, then wait for a separate app to pop up? I just end up playing music in my headphones, or on my phone speaker. The quality is worse, but the experienc…

>Why can't I just cast the music from my Youtube music app? Because the YouTube app developers haven't implemented it? Casting via spotify works flawlessly in my experience, whether using airplay or letting spotify discover the speakers. No app hopping required.

> spotify

TBF that's because clicking on a Sonos device in Spotify uses their own special-sauce Spotify Connect, not AirPlay/Cast. So you're basically using the Spotify app as a remote for the selected Sonos device vs AirPlay/Cast which are transmitting (potentially a reference to) the underlying audio stream.

Re: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

#109
post #100
post #19

They violated the "Things You Should Never Do, Part I" rule: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you-should-... It's such a TEMPTING rule to violate... The amazing part was how BAD it went, supposedly engineers were raising every red flag possible that it wasn't ready and still they did it. Considering how bad it was I can't imagine having any faith in anyone up the chain of command having the power, or…

I've been a part of a few successful rewrites, one definitely larger than what Sonos did. We should let go of some of the JoS dogma. Failed rewrites are the result of mismanagement, not because rewrites are inherently bad.

I am sure there are rewrites that were necessary or beneficial. But I think it’s fair to say that usually they are a mistake.

And a lot of “bad code” comes from starting to write clean code and then coming across a variety of assumptions that prove incorrect, and real-world considerations that add complexity.

Re: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

#110

I see a lot of negative comments in this thread about Sonos in general, which is interesting to me because I'm currently thinking about buying Sonos speakers. What exactly don't you like about it? Is there a good alternative to Sonos that ticks all the following boxes? - Connect two or more speakers wirelessly to get stereo sound (I hate cables) - Good support for different audio sources (bluetooth, Spotify, AirPlay,…

The app update was fucking terrible, but it's not the absolute mess it was originally (it's still sluggish at times, but I haven't had it outright fail me in a couple of months). Ultimately, I still find Sonos to be better for me than alternatives because the sound truly is good, and the ease of setting up a home theater wirelessly that I can also use to play my records is unmatched by any alternatives. As bad as Son…

The newer era speakers, and the five have audio in.
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