Teenage Engineering’s CEO says it’ll stop making synths

<figure> <img alt="A black-and-grey rectangular device standing on its front edge on a wooden table. It has rows of buttons along the bottom half of the front face; the top half has a small LCD screen and several knobs. It’s an electronic musical instrument about half the size of a computer keyboard." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Photo by Terrence O’Brien / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/257534_Teenage_Engineering_OP-XY_TOBrien_0007.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Teenage Engineering founder and CEO Jesper Kouthoofd told <em><a href="https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/teenage-engineering-interview/">Highsnobiety</a></em> that it plans to stop making synths. And yes, that includes the iconic OP-1, which put the company on the map. TE isn't just a music gear maker; it's also a sought-after design firm. It's collaborated with <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/23/21079667/ikea-teenage-engineering-frekvens-price-release">Ikea</a>, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/24/22298802/nothing-teenage-engineering-swedish-design-founding-partner-audio-headphones">Nothing</a>, and <a href="https://www.theverge.com/22587172/playdate-hands-on-preview">Playdate</a>, among <a href="https://www.theverge.com/24138746/rabbit-r1-hands-on-ai-gadget-chatgpt">others</a>. But almost everything the company makes itself - the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2011/10/29/2523087/status-symbols-teenage-engineering-op-1">OP-1</a>, the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/reviews/608609/teenage-engineering-op-xy-review">OP-XY</a>, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/958723/teenage-engineering-os-25-ep-133-ko-ii-sampler">EP-133</a>, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/12/23721033/teenage-engineering-tp7-audio-recorder-motorized-tape-reel-price">TP-7</a>, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/30/21495233/teenage-engineering-ob-4-radio-speaker-rewind-loop-feature-price-release-date">et cetera</a> - is music or audio-focused. Which makes the supposed decision to abandon the market all the more confusing.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here's the relevant quote from <em>Highsnobiety</em>: </p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Kouthoofd tells me that, as part of a reorganization last fall, he announced …</p></blockquote> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/1007489/teengage-engineering-stop-making-synths">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>