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Tech Guru Panos Panay Resigns from Sonos Board; Co. Intros ‘New’ Execs

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Panos Panay, when he joined Sonos board

Last week, Sonos quietly let the Securities and Exchange Commission know that Panos Panay resigned from the Sonos board of directors, effective September 27, 2023. They made no public announcement that I am aware of, even though this news could have a major impact on the company’s direction. Why? Simply because Panos Panay is one of the most respected technology product gurus in the industry – so much so that Sonos trumpeted his arrival loudly when they convinced him to join their board in 2020.

Separately, and within just days of the exit of Panay, the company announced three “new” (I’ll explain the quotes around the word new below) additions to its executive team, including a new, promoted from within, Chief Product Officer…

See more about the departure of Panay from the Sonos board, and its new additions

[Read more…] about Tech Guru Panos Panay Resigns from Sonos Board; Co. Intros ‘New’ Execs

Tech Takes a Turn…Downward

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Photo: Jovelle Tamayo for The New York Times

After several years of dizzying growth, the technology sector is now experiencing a notable downturn, as the post-COVID era has brought a combination of higher prices (inflation) and lower demand. In response, 2022 saw significant job cuts at major Big Tech brands that have continued on into 2023. That includes this Wednesday when Microsoft announced it was cutting 10,000 jobs – after a 1,000 job cut in October 2022 – another big blow to Tech.

But what about the more specific segments like consumer electronics and custom integration?

See the latest on tech taking a turn downward…

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UEI Earns Wide National News Coverage for All the Wrong Reasons

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UEI screenshot with logo

Allegations of Conspiring With China’s Gov’t to Use Uyghurs in a Forced Labor Arrangement

In a rare show of bipartisanship, a group of U.S. Senators has sent a strongly worded letter to a leading consumer electronics industry remote control maker Universal Electronics, Inc. (UEI) launching a probe into the company’s hiring practices in China. Unique to UEI is that they own their own factories in China (most contract with existing China OEM factories) and a recent damning investigation by Reuters alleges the company is working with the Chinese government to utilize a widely persecuted Uyghur minority in a forced labor arrangement, a human rights violation. UEI has denied the accusation but so far has not provided data to back up their denial.

See more on the UEI labor situation in China

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Sonos Adds Top Microsoft Executive to Its Board of Directors

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Photo of Sonos One

Sonos, Inc. (NASDAQ: SONO) announced this week that they are adding a new member to their Board of Directors. In fact, they even increased the size of the Board to make room for this new addition. The news surprised – and impressed – many market observers, as the person they are adding is Panos Panay, a top Microsoft Corp. executive. You see, if you are not familiar with Panay, there is something special about his background that makes him an intriguing addition to the Sonos Board.

Learn more about this Sonos recruitment…

[Read more…] about Sonos Adds Top Microsoft Executive to Its Board of Directors

Polls: Facebook Faces a Major Trust Crisis

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Stunning Reversal for Once-Loved FANG Brand

Facebook finds themselves square in the middle of a political and public relations fire storm, as news of the firms connection to Cambridge Analytica and the harvesting of the personal data on at least 50 million Facebook users, including perhaps you and I, have recently received a lot of news coverage. Now word comes via two new polls that the company’s brand has taken a serious hit in the eyes of their users and former fans.

See more on these latest polls about Facebook from Reuters/Ipsos… [Read more…] about Polls: Facebook Faces a Major Trust Crisis

Things Are Heating Up in Dallas

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cedia logoDallas is hot right now – really hot – as in daily temperatures in the mid-90s. This is a shocking change from the cooling New England Fall now engulfing our home base. But it’s about to get even hotter as the nation’s custom integration community comes together for its annual pilgrimage, the pilgrimage known as Expo.

See more on the the pilgrimage known as Expo… [Read more…] about Things Are Heating Up in Dallas

Taiwan’s Foxconn Looks to Build Factories in the U.S. – Six States Compete for Selection

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Foxconn logoFoxconn Technology Group, a Taiwanese company with manufacturing plants in China, and the world’s largest manufacturer of electronics – is looking to build one or more factories here in the U.S. The company, mostly known as the primary manufacturer of Apple’s popular iPhone, is in negotiations with Arizona and Colorado, according to a report by Bloomberg. But four other states have thrown their hats into the ring as well.

See more on this turn of events, a Taiwanese company building factories in the U.S…. [Read more…] about Taiwan’s Foxconn Looks to Build Factories in the U.S. – Six States Compete for Selection

Panasonic Gives the Back Seat to Consumers, at the Consumer Electronics Show

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Photo from Panasonic Press ConferenceOne of the bigger surprises on Press Day (the day before the show opens) at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was the Panasonic press conference. We were quite surprised when Panasonic opened their press conference at the consumer electronics show, talking at length about their non-consumer businesses.

Their official tag line at the event…Panasonic A Better Life. A Better World…seemed very generic and not particularly entertainment linked. But the more interesting tag phrase that we heard several times throughout the presentation was – Panasonic is more than a TV company…seemed to suggest that the company was distancing itself from its consumer TV business. Or at least, re-prioritizing their business segments as they spent the first several minutes of their presentation talking government, security, and commercial applications for Panasonic technology.

See more from this surprising Panasonic presentation… [Read more…] about Panasonic Gives the Back Seat to Consumers, at the Consumer Electronics Show

Somewhere…Steve Jobs is Smiling

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Photo of Steve JobsToday, we learned that Microsoft Corp. is acquiring Nokia Corp.’s mobile phone and services business in a deal valued at $7.2 billion. This news seemed to be a real surprise to many who have viewed Microsoft’s mobile efforts (i.e. Windows Phone) as weak at best. This news follows Google’s move in 2011 to acquire Motorola’s mobile hardware business. What’s this all about? Well at least in part, it shows that Steve Jobs was right all along…

See why – somewhere – Steve Jobs is smiling right now… [Read more…] about Somewhere…Steve Jobs is Smiling

Is It Time to Start a Deathwatch on the Industry’s Annual CES?

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strata-GEE's Show Report LogoIt is now late January and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is well into our rear-view mirror. Yes, as in other years, there has been a flood of publicity and tons of articles on gadgets introduced at the show. The show’s promoter, the CEA, has already crowed about the event being the biggest ever and all seems well. Or is it?

See the warning signs that the CEA seems to be ignoring… [Read more…] about Is It Time to Start a Deathwatch on the Industry’s Annual CES?