For you to figure out what the next move of a company is, sometimes all you have to do is look at its public job openings and read what they’re looking for. Spotify has long been rumored to be coming up with its own hardware, and we have further confirmation of this as there are hardware-related positions now open, and in particular, they’re looking for an Operations Manager who “will contribute in the creation of innovative Spotify experiences via connected hardware.”
It’s not a surprise really that they’re exploring going into hardware, given the success of such devices like the Amazon Echo family, Google Home, and maybe the future success of the recently released HomePod by Apple. However, given the number of players already in the smart speaker market, then Spotify needs to come up with something special to be able to convince people to buy their hardware. And that’s where all the job openings come in.
The Operations Manager they’re looking for will set up the manufacturing, supply chain, and sales and marketing for the company’s first physical products, which indicates it won’t just be a one-time release of a smart speaker. They’re also looking for a Project Manager for hardware production and engineering and a Senior Project Manager for hardware production. Spotify currently has hardware specialists because of their partnerships with device makers that integrate Spotify into their products.
They are looking to create something that will be “category defining” like what Amazon Echo did for smart speakers, so we may see something that’s similar to it but should be more than just a connected device. It should be more than just easy access to the streaming service, since that can already be found in most smart speakers.
VIA: SlashGear
