My Visit To Sonos

One of my favorite companies that I don’t have an investment in is Sonos. I own their products (four zone players), I’ve written extensively about them, and they sponsor my "In Heavy Rotation" widget which to my mind was the first sponsored blog widget.

So when I found myself in Santa Barbara this week, I felt like stopping by and visiting them. And I did that yesterday. I remarked to the team that greeted me how different their headquarters looked (that’s it on the left). They asked me what I expected. I told them the standard silicon valley style office building. They all laughed and told me that doesn’t exist in Santa Barbara.

I dropped in pretty much unannounced but everyone made time to come by and say hello to me. It’s a very friendly company. I got to talk to the marketing people, the product management people, the technology people, and the CEO, John MacFarlane.

Here’s a photo of me and  John MacFarlane, taken by Thomas Meyer on my way out at the end of the visit.

We talked a lot about new features I’d like to see, the marketing opportunities and challenges they face, and why Sonos is such a great product. We also talked a bit about the venture business, the best ways to finance companies and how to create value.

I came away from the visit with an even greater appreciation for Sonos the company. I guess I should have known. It takes great companies to build great products.