Sonos buys Snips, a privacy-focused voice assistant

Sonos now owns Snips, a Paris-based “private-by-design” AI voice platform with the intent of making “the voice experience on Sonos even better,” according to a press release announcing the acquisition. The deal is worth approximately $37.5 million, and brings Snips’ 50 employees and intellectual property to Sonos.

Sonos already offers both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice assistants as options on its smart speakers. So, why does it need Snips?

Part of the answer can be found in Sonos’ Q4 letter to shareholders:

“We do not plan to replicate the big tech ‘ask anything voice services’ but expect this acquisition will add to our customers’ ease of use and control as we continue to differentiate an end-to-end Sonos experience for our...

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