Audeze just announced their CEO and co-founder, Alexander Rosson, has officially resigned in order to create his own company. Audeze’s other co-founder, Sankar Thiagasamudram has become new CEO.
Audeze was started in 2008 by Sankar and Alexander. From humble beginnings making headphones at night and weekends in a garage, Audeze grew to be the leader in planar magnetic technology headphones. “As we grew in size we realized we needed to devote more time to our business and its structure,” said Thiagasamudram. “Alex bravely volunteered to be the first to leave his day job and spend a few years as CEO in 2013. He put together deals with several DJs and studios and helped set up sales channels. We appreciate Alex’s efforts and are pleased that he will continue as a shareholder and that he’s inked a deal with us for manufacturing and distribution support.”
Sankar Thiagasamudram has been the interim CEO since January 2015 as Alex planned his next venture. Sankar was president and COO since 2013 and was the CFO until late last year. As a co-founder Sankar helped Audeze grow from a bootstrap startup to a thriving business with seed capital and series-A funding. Sankar also established a strategic partnership with BMW DesignWorksUSA to provide the industrial design of all new Audeze products. Sankar also led the creation and managed the growth of Audeze’s manufacturing facility in Costa Mesa, CA. He also built the vendor base and organized the supply chain to achieve Apple certification. Sankar is an engineer with a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Prior to joining Audeze full-time in 2013 he helped develop several pioneering products in Digital Cinema.
Audeze has quickly established itself as one of the most innovative companies in the headphone world employing ground-breaking technologies. Audeze products have won many awards including the Digital Trend’s Top Tech of CES 2015 and Product of the Year 2014 from Stereophile Magazine. The new EL-8, the first product designed by BMW DesignworksUSA, is receiving rave reviews for its premium sound quality and best-in-class performance. The EL-8 headphones are now available at the Apple Online Store and will soon be widely available.
Speaking of these changes, Thiagasamudram noted, “Over the next few months we’ll deliver new and exciting products that deliver, as all Audeze products, uncompromised audio performance.”
Derek Alderton, Chairman of Audeze’s Board, commented, “Sankar has been at the very forefront of Audeze’s growth and has helped nurture it from just a startup idea. We are very excited for Sankar to expand his leadership role even farther as our new CEO. He has had hands-on experience in almost every area of the business. We wish Alex the best in his new venture, but as a shareholder he knows Audeze is in good hands with Sankar”.
