# John MacFarlane

> John MacFarlane is an American entrepreneur and engineer who co-founded Sonos in 2002 and served as CEO until January 2017. Previously the founder and CEO of Software.com, he applied an internet software background to wireless home audio, leading Sonos through its first products, smartphone controls, and the expansion of streaming music.

- **Role:** Co-founder and former CEO of Sonos, Inc.; self-employed
- **Organizations:** Sonos, Inc., Software.com, Openwave, UC Santa Barbara Institute for Energy Efficiency Directors Emeriti Council
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MS, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara
- **Known for:** Founded and led Software.com before its 2000 merger with Phone.com., Co-founded Sonos and led its development from an early wireless-audio concept into an international consumer brand., During his tenure, Sonos reported nearly 1.5 million units sold to 550,000 customers by April 2012.

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Moved to Santa Barbara for graduate study at UC Santa Barbara.
- **1992** — Launched Software.com, an internet messaging business; later served as its CEO.
- **2000** — Software.com merged with Phone.com to form Openwave.
- **2002** — Co-founded Sonos with Tom Cullen, Trung Mai, and Craig Shelburne.
- **2004-2005** — Delayed the first Sonos product beyond its intended 2004 holiday launch to address quality; the ZP100 reached customers in 2005.
- **2008** — Sonos introduced a free iPhone controller app.
- **2009** — Sonos released its all-in-one PLAY:5 speaker.
- **2017** — Handed the CEO role to Patrick Spence in January, resigned from the board, and initially remained to help and advise.
- **2024** — Featured in the February 19 episode of How I Built This with Guy Raz.
- **2026** — Spoke at Ventech’s March 25 How I Built This: Santa Barbara Edition panel.

## Achievements

- Founded and led Software.com before its 2000 merger with Phone.com.
- Co-founded Sonos and led its development from an early wireless-audio concept into an international consumer brand.
- During his tenure, Sonos reported nearly 1.5 million units sold to 550,000 customers by April 2012.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Participated in Ventech’s March 25 Santa Barbara founders’ panel with Bill Parrish and Dan Engel, moderated by Marcus Chevitarese.
- **2026-04** — Pacific Coast Business Times reported his panel comparison of Software.com’s 97% gross margins with Sonos’s approximately 50% gross margins.
- **2024-02** — Discussed the creation and early challenges of Sonos on How I Built This with Guy Raz.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-macfarlane-08a8aa20
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/JohnLMacFarlane

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-macfarlane
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15