Someone made a good observation, Bose now only has old products on the market and no hot products, which in my personal opinion we need now more than ever. How did we come to not have any great innovations? It might be that capable people have escaped incompetent leadership and an atmosphere that is more destructive than ever. Just my two cents.
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I knew Dr. Bose and he strongly believed you can't innovate in fear
That seems a little over-the-top to me. Bose launched many great and innovative products after Dr.Bose's direct involvement ended. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Soundlink Mini, Solo, L1, Soundwear Companion, Videowave, Sleepbuds, Frames, and I'm sure there are more.
Simple. All Innovation went away when Dr. Bose passed away. After that they turned the company over to the bean counters and hired consultants to recommend firing people with the excuse 'The consultants recommended it'
Also why isn’t Gwen/Hadrian launched yet? Who launches products after holiday seasons get them out for Christmas don’t get them after everyone is all shopped out!
Innovation has gone to China. If you are still a Bose employee you should be looking for something new. Layoffs won’t be stopping anytime soon. If you are looking for a sign HERE IT IS. This company will not survive. 2021, new year, new you. Time to get uncomfortable before Bose forces you out the door.
Innovation by committee does not work, yet has become embedded in processes for many years now
Compound that by living in an internal echo chamber for many years now
Compound these by failing to appropriately isolate the "lean and 6S journey" from where innovation is delivered
Systemic behaviors that k–l off "true innovation" or drive it to be years late, making what would have been novel and competitive, non-competitive
Transcends HW v SW
It also doesnt help that they are running two apps, they dont seem to take ECO1 or 2 very seriously, never add music services, barely add new features. Hell my 650 has the wrong icon in the app still, and it also gives me bass/trebel/speaker on off controls that don't function so theres that too.
There's a lot more to software than just cloud software. Considering software a "necessary evil" is clearly part of the huge problem here.
Amazon/Google/Microsoft can profit from (cloud) software directly or indirectly.
For Bose, it is a pure cost. Customers pay for the speaker or headphone or any device, that's it.
Bose cannot make money from investment in software. Software is the necessary evil for Bose.
Innovation in the modern world is about software, and increasingly cloud software. Bose has never treated software as anything other than a nuisance and is not willing to pay market rates for software talent. When good software engineers leave Bose for Amazon/Google/Microsoft, they regularly receive pay increases of 200%-300%. (Good software engineers with 10 YOE at those companies make as much as VPs do at Bose).
Bose is not going to compete with Amazon and Google through transducer innovation or clever signal processing. They might be able to compete with Klipsch–woo hoo.
BOSE:
Bad
Old
Stupid
Employer