The volume of Sonos complaints is deafening

A failed software update has infuriated customers. [Bloomberg]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a full-blown investigation of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - [Your Sonos app]( has no backup. - [All the money]( behind your pup. - [The party of love]( that’s what’s up. - [Nancy Pelosi]( is goated, yup. So, no? Picture this: You’re sitting in your Toyota Prius, parked in front of your old house. The backseat is filled with boxes of Sonos speakers, subwoofers and smart soundbars. You used to be the envy of your friends and family, the go-to host for movie nights and Super Bowl parties. Now you are a social pariah. It all started in May with an innocuous app update that promised to enhance your Sonos experience. “What’s the worst that could happen?” you thought. But as soon as the update finished, you realized everything had changed. The alarm feature you relied on to wake up for your job? Gone, so you overslept and got fired. The white noise you used to play before bed? It turned into a [high-pitched shriek]( causing your dog to run away in the middle of the night. The outdoor patio speakers that your wife used for at-home yoga? Now highly erratic, sometimes increasing the volume [to 100%](. After months of [failed troubleshooting]( she hits you with an ultimatum: It’s either her or the speakers. So here you are, humiliated, [living out of your car]( with thousands of dollars worth of Sonos gear. And you can’t help but wonder: What would my life be like if Sonos hadn’t updated its control app? Haha OK, this is all a bit of an exaggeration: No one lost their job, dog or home because of Sonos. But as Dave Lee [writes]( the new software glitches — intermittent volume blasts, disappearing devices and missing sleep timers — have elicited some pretty hyperbolic responses. Now, Wirecutter [no longer recommends]( the platform and the stock has fallen more than 35% since the update: Earlier this week, the company tried to save face by hosting an “ask me anything” [session]( on the Sonos Reddit, where Dave [says]( more than 250,000 Sonos owners gather. Lots of users were calling for Sonos to just re-release the old app while it tweaks the new one. But CEO Patrick Spence [put that idea to bed]( “After doing extensive testing we’ve reluctantly concluded that re-releasing S2 would make the problems worse, not better,” he wrote. “I’m sure this is disappointing. It was disappointing to me.” The company is now “past the point of no return,” Dave says, noting that “the problem would take at least $20 million to $30 million to fix. The app debacle has meant slower sales of existing products, and two products that had been scheduled to launch imminently are being held back.” Let’s hope they get to the bottom of the issue before someone’s spouse actually gets kicked to the curb. Bonus Flawed Tech Reading: Elon Musk’s [$44 billion buyout]( of Twitter has been painful for lenders — but it’s not the end of the story. — Paul J. Davies Pet Profiteering The other week, New York magazine published [a big spread]( about pet ethics. The [cover itself]( was very controversial. But the existential questions posed in the package — “Are [kill shelters]( actually so bad?” Are we [forcing our pets]( live too long?” “Is there such a thing as a [good fishbowl]( — were just as contentious. Yet one thing was missing from that pet ethics spread: private equity. And after reading this Chris Bryant [column about veterinary takeovers]( in the UK, I think PE firms have the worst pet ethics of all. Let me set the scene for you: It’s 2014. Just 10% of vets in the UK are consolidated, and PE investors are on the hunt for their next target. I’m imagining one investor, maybe nursing his guinea pig back to health after grueling and expensive gastrointestinal surgery, thinking to himself: “What about pets? We could make bank.” Next thing you know, half of the big vets in the UK are [owned by private equity](. “Their game plan was straightforward: gobble up practices fairly cheaply, achieve scale economies and then exit at a much higher valuation,” Chris writes. But PE’s pet push has since backfired: Instead of getting fat paychecks from vets, profit margins and valuations are buckling under pressure, acquisitions and customer demand have slowed and staffers are striking for higher pay. Inflation doesn’t help, either: “We’re willing to spend whatever it takes to save our beloved pooch or kitten, and our animals are living longer. More than half of UK households have a pet, and many of them have insurance to cover expensive treatments like keyhole surgery or a hamster’s [£500 ($651) teeth extraction]( Chris writes. But “our love for animals is a double-edged sword. In May, the UK Competition and Markets Authority confirmed it’s opening a full-blown investigation of the sector after receiving an unprecedented 56,000 responses from pet owners and those working in the industry.” As it stands, [veterinary practices]( are the Wild West: More than 80% of clinics don’t publish procedural costs online. It’s possible that large groups are even urging pet owners to pay for overly complex and expensive treatments to benefit their bottom line. Once that investigation is published, regulation will follow. Justice for our four-legged [cuddle companions]( will be at hand, and it’ll be PE’s turn to be sick as a dog. DNC Roundup I have no food-related reports from the DNC, but JD Vance did have a rather [awkward exchange]( at a donut shop in Georgia, so that’s something. Elsewhere in DNC things, you’ve got Tim Walz bringing everyone — including [his son]( — to tears, proving Patricia Lopez’s [point]( about how he’s “an everyman in a way that few running mates in modern history have been.” And then there’s Nancy Pelosi, who Erika D. Smith [says]( deserves all the flowers. “Without Pelosi the joyous, four-day convention that has attracted tens of millions of viewers and led to hundreds of millions of dollars in donations wouldn’t have happened,” she writes. Even more impressive, considering she did it all in heels: Appetizer Quote: “Democrats have tried to fact-check Trump. They have tried to shame him, ridicule him, outflank him and even out-outrage him. They have waited for the fever to break, and waited nearly as long for justice to be served. Nothing has quite done the trick. Trump remains at large, and the republic in peril. Yet love is not the message of an insecure party, uncertain of its path.” — Francis Wilkinson, [Can Harris Run on Love and Joy? Ask Michelle Obama]( Entrée Chart: With all the [celeb]( [guest]( [appearances]( you’d be forgiven for forgetting that “[Coachella for Poli-Sci Majors]( is actually a high-stakes political event. “The Democrats’ national convention appears to be going very well so far — lots of impeccably stage-managed political theater, some good speeches and, as yet, no serious violence among protesters to cast a pall on proceedings,” John Authers [writes](. The polls look promising: “For the first time, Democrats are leading in most of the seven so-called swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin — that will determine the 47th occupant of the White House,” Matthew A. Winkler [writes](. To clinch victory, Harris will need to continue to show voters that she has a record that Trump envies. On manufacturing, Jonathan Levin [says]( she’s helped foster an investment boom. And on the economy, the editorial board [says]( she’s standing up for fiscal responsibility. Both messages will help her in the months ahead. Dessert Video: This [compilation]( of Harris’ Senate hearing takedowns is *chef’s kiss.* Further Reading India needs more than [protests]( to change attitudes toward rape. — Karishma Vaswani Pakistan’s government is jacking up [power prices]( plug the deficit. — David Fickling The UK’s ruling party may have made its first [environmental blunder](. — Lara Williams For Walmart and Target, it only [gets tougher]( from here. — Andrea Felsted Ukraine needs more than [missiles]( from the West. — Mihir Sharma ICYMI New [Covid shots]( were approved. But who gets ‘em? Tim Walz, Travis Kelce and the art of “[jock insurance]( The US Postal Service mulls a rural [mail slowdown](. [Nuuly]( is finding profits in borrowed clothing. Kickers The second-biggest [diamond]( ever. Nobody wants a [sous vide]( subscription. Brake and gas pedals are [very different](. The queer [penguin community]( lost an OG. All-you-can-eat at Applebee’s ends in [an arrest](. Notes: Please send a 2,492-carat diamond and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Threads]( [TikTok]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( and [Facebook](. Follow Us Stay updated by saving our new email address Our email address is changing, which means you’ll be receiving this newsletter from noreply@news.bloomberg.com. 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