Nest Hunt for Engineers Signals More Competition Amid Increased Music Streaming
Job postings on the Nest website raised speculation in the audio industry about a possible new, formidable contender for Sonos in the wireless audio space. TechCrunch first reported that the Google-owned company, known for its upstart smart thermostat, has listed…
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a “head of audio” position in its Careers section. The job description reads: “Nest is looking for a highly technical Head of Audio to lead the development of Nest Audio across hardware and software, present and future.” The job would involve leading the “Nest Audio team," including acoustics, audio electronics, audio software, and audio test and validation for all Nest products, the listing said, and developing "an audio roadmap for Nest products," including hardware and software supporting “delightful user experiences and innovative features.” An additional position we saw listed Wednesday describes an “acoustics design engineer” to be tasked with component selection, acoustic design, integration, debugging and testing. “This individual will build an audio design team to support audio needs across all Nest products,” the job description said. The time is right for emerging multiroom audio products, according to data from IHS Technology. IHS analyst Paul Erickson said that network-connected multiroom speaker systems are “the small-but-growing subcategory to watch." Major companies including Bose, Denon, DTS, LG, Qualcomm, Samsung and Sony "are all entering the market with products or platforms designed to take on a rapidly growing segment initially popularized by Sonos,” Erickson said. The wireless speaker market is being fueled by growth in sales of tablets and smartphones and a shift in consumer media consumption preferences toward streaming services including Deezer, Pandora and Spotify, Erickson said. “Consumers are seeking ways to wirelessly play audio from their mobile devices on speakers in the room they’re in, in multiple rooms in a household, and on speakers carried with them while on the go," he said. The trend will drive "strong global growth in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connected speakers over the next few years," he said. When Sonos launched 13 years ago, “we made an informed bet that streaming would go mainstream, and that there would be thousands of services bringing music to millions of people all over the world," a spokesman said. Sonos is “more focused than ever on delivering the best possible experience for music lovers in the ever-evolving digital age,” he said, adding there’s never been a better time “to be a great hardware and software company.”