Sonos was founded in August 2002 in Santa Barbara, California, initially under the name Rincon Audio, by John MacFarlane, Craig Shelburne, Tom Cullen, and Trung Mai. MacFarlane, fresh off the success of his previous company Software.com, had a bold vision: build a wireless multi-room music system that could finally free home audio from the tangle of wires and complexity that had defined it for decades. The company adopted the Sonos name in 2004, the same year MacFarlane began showing early prototypes at industry events, including a memorable encounter with Steve Jobs at the D2: All Things Digital conference.

That persistence paid off in 2005, when Sonos launched its pioneering ZonePlayer and controller system, winning "Best of Audio" at the CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards and establishing an entirely new category of home audio. Sonos has continued expanding that original vision ever since, partnering with over 100 music services including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, and building integrations with all three major voice assistants.