Strategy in TECH...
Making what it calls a “renewed commitment to the American market,” Hamburg, Germany-based Velodyne Acoustics announced today that it has appointed Playback Distribution as its exclusive distributor for the U.S. market. The new partnership will kick off at the upcoming CEDIA Expo in Denver, CO, on September 4-6, 2025.
Sonos, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO) released its financial results for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2025, which included a double-digit percentage revenue decline and a significant net loss in the millions of dollars. Yet Sonos management declared victory with new CEO Tom Conrad calling the quarter a “…solid step forward for Sonos,” and CFO Saori Casey joining in by saying, “Q3 was another quarter of solid execution…”
Are we watching the same movie here?
After markets closed on Tuesday, Masimo Corporation [Nasdaq: MASI] released its results for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2025, and to my eyes, they looked really solid. Revenues grew by a respectable 8%, operating profits grew by 54%(!), operating margins improved by 520 basis points (that’s 5.2% more than last year), and earnings per share shot up an eye-popping 78%(!) What’s not to like?
Yet on Wednesday, the first trading day after these results were announced, the value of MASI shares actually dropped 12%! What?!?!
Absoulute Audio Plus Video has announced it will open a new walk-in dedicated showroom filled with a wide assortment of high-performance audio and home theater gear in Aiken, SC. Absoulute (yes, that spelling is intentional) is a multi-location full-service dealer of fine audio and home theater gear, which will host a grand opening of its new Aiken location September 19 & 20, 2025.
Enigmatic, mercurial CEO Elon Musk confirmed to Reuters news that Tesla has signed a deal with Samsung Electronics to manufacture and supply Tesla’s next-generation AI chips, the AI6. The contract is said to be valued at $16.5 billion.
Gentex Corporation (Nasdaq: GNTX) has reported its financial results for the second quarter of Fiscal 2025, the 90-day period that ended on June 30, 2025. For the most part, results looked better than initially expected, although much of the upside improvement in revenues was largely thanks to the acquisition of VOXX Int’l, the company that owns audio brands Onkyo, Integra, and Klipsch as well as other automotive electronics brands. That acquisition closed on April 1, the first day of the second quarter.
However, the profit contribution of VOXX was a different story.
At the International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas, NV, earlier this year, show organizers employed expert builders/craftsmen/tradesmen/and installers who conceived, designed, created, and built a new $15.5 million modern custom home designed to set the standard for luxury living in 2025 and beyond. According to organizers, “The New American Home 2025 is a statement of what’s to come in the world of residential architecture. Join us as we redefine the standard of luxury living.” Savant and the Savant Power system were a major part of adding the luxury experience to this home.
Sonos, Inc. [Nasdaq: SONO] announced today that its Board of Directors has decided to appoint Tom Conrad – current Interim CEO – as the new official Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Conrad, who was a member of the Board of Directors when it chose to dismiss previous CEO Patrick Spence, was named as the Interim CEO back in January.
It’s a bit of a mixed bag in new residential construction data published today, generally known as housing starts. In June, the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of the start of new home construction jumped 4.6% over the revised May rate. However, this rate remains 0.5% lower than the rate of construction starts in June of 2024, one year ago.
On Thursday, Premium Audio Company (PAC), a division of Voxx, which itself is now part of Gentex Corp., today formally acknowledged what has long been rumored: that it has lost its licensing deal with Pioneer Corporation for the rights to the Pioneer and Elite brands. The announcement portrays the decision as a “mutual” one that concludes “a successful multi-year collaboration.”
