Peloton

Founding to IPO

In 2011, John Foley, an executive at Barnes & Noble in New York City, pitched his colleague, Tom Cortese, on the idea that technology could make it possible for people with little time to get the full experience of working out in a high-end studio cycling class in their homes. Peloton Interactive was founded in January 2012. "Peloton" is a cycling term, meaning a large group of riders bunched together.The company raised $400,000 in seed money in February 2012 and another $3.5 million in December 2012. Peloton sold its first bike on Kickstarter in 2013 with an early bird price tag of $1,500. Their first Internet-connected stationary bicycle with a tablet was released in 2014. The company also opened showrooms in shopping centers around the US, for people to test out the machines, and "sales quickly soared," behind the entertaining classes and cycling instructors, and the online community of riders.Peloton’s original treadmill, Tread+, was unveiled in January 2018 by the company at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In May 2018, Peloton announced plans to expand into Canada and the United Kingdom that fall. It also announced construction of a flagship studio at Manhattan West in New York City.In March 2019, Peloton was sued by the National Music Publishers Association for using copyrighted music in their videos without proper synchronization licenses, seeking $150 million in damages. The action resulted in changes to music used in its sessions, as well as removal of certain programs that used the songs named in the suit. In September 2019, the suit was amended and increased to $300 million. Peloton settled the lawsuit in February 2020; financial terms were not disclosed.On September 26, 2019, Peloton became a public company via an initial public offering, raising $1.16 billion and valuing the company at $8.1 billion. After reaching a market valuation of $50 billion in January 2021, the company's valuation was back to around $8 billion by April 2022.

The Gift That Gives Back ad

In November 2019, the company released a new holiday commercial, "The Gift That Gives Back," where a wife, played by Monica Ruiz, receives a Peloton bike for Christmas from her husband, and, after using it, observes that she "didn't realize how much this would change me." The commercial received criticism from viewers who claimed that its plot implied that the woman's husband was dissatisfied with her physical appearance.Peloton defended the ad, arguing that it was intended to celebrate a "fitness and wellness journey", inspired by how its users were often "meaningfully and positively impacted after purchasing or being gifted a Peloton Bike or Tread, often in ways that surprise them." Ruiz, the actress that played the wife, was hired for an ad titled "The Gift That Doesn't Give Back" for Aviation American Gin, released in December 2019, which lightly mocked the Peloton ad.

COVID-19 pandemic through 2021

Sales increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic as home gyms became more popular during the COVID-19 lockdowns. However, the rapid increase in demand caused shipping delays, with customers receiving their products months late, leading some to cancel orders. In December 2020, the company made a $100 million investment in shipping solutions in an attempt to accelerate manufacturing and decrease shipping times.

Flywheel Sports lawsuit settlement

Due to Peloton's success, at least a dozen rivals, including Equinox, Icon Health & Fitness, and Flywheel Sports, began selling Peloton-style internet-connected bikes. In February 2020, Flywheel ceased its at-home cycling services after settling with Peloton over a patent lawsuit. Flywheel created its at-home internet-connected bike in 2017, and later admitted it illegally copied Peloton's technology. Court documents revealed that Flywheel created an internal initiative to obtain Peloton's confidential trade information. After Flywheel's service shut down, Peloton offered Flywheel users the opportunity to exchange their Flywheel bikes for refurbished Peloton bikes at no cost.

Tread and Tread+ safety recall

In May 2021, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned people with children and pets to immediately stop using the Tread+ model of Peloton treadmill, after one child died after being pulled under the treadmill while a parent was running on it, and almost 40 others sustained injuries including fractured bones. The commission stated that when not in use, the product should be stored in a locked room to prevent children and pets from accessing it.Peloton initially rejected the Consumer Product Safety Commission's request to recall the product and instead warned parents to keep children away from the treadmill, before it changed course and voluntarily recalled the Tread and Tread+ on May 5, 2021. The Tread model was also recalled due to reports of the touchscreen display screws loosening, causing the screen to occasionally detach and fall off. In July 2021, a Brooklyn couple filed a lawsuit for unspecified damages against the company claiming their 3-year-old son suffered third-degree burns after being trapped under the treadmill.As part of the recall, Peloton allows consumers to return the treadmills for a full refund until November 6, 2022. In August 2021, Peloton announced that Tread owners could schedule an in-home appointment for their treadmill's touchscreen to get repaired by a technician. Later that month, Peloton enacted safety features including the Tread Lock digital passcode to unlock the Tread, and a safety key that must be in place in order to begin use. The feature locks the treadmill after inactivity and requires a four-digit passcode to unlock.

Sex and the City plot point

In December 2021, on the first episode of the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That..., the character Mr. Big has a heart attack and dies after riding a Peloton bike. The day after the initial airing of the episode, Peloton shares fell 11.3%. The company issued a statement through Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a cardiologist and member of the company's health and wellness advisory, saying that they agreed to the product placement but were not aware of how it would be used in the pivotal scene.The statement also said not to blame the company for the character's death, and cited some contributing factors, such as his lifestyle and a cardiac surgery in a previous season. The company released an ad, narrated by Ryan Reynolds, with Reynolds citing the benefits of cycling and ending with, "He's alive." The ad was removed after Noth was accused of sexual assault by two women.Several weeks later, an episode of the show Billions also featured a character experiencing a heart attack after using a Peloton device.

Stock turbulence and CEO change

In January 2022, CNBC reported, citing internal company documents, that Peloton had temporarily paused production of its products after greatly increased demand during the early stages of the COVID pandemic had slackened, leaving the company with a glut of bikes and treadmills. The company denied the report. Peloton's share price quadrupled in 2020, before dropping nearly 80% in 2021.In February 2022, 2,800 employees were laid off in an effort to save $800 million annually. CEO John Foley stepped down from his position, becoming executive chairman, and was replaced by Barry McCarthy, the former chief financial officer of Spotify and Netflix. As of April 2022, Foley controls around 35% of voting power in the company.On March 11, 2022, the company started testing a new pricing structure called One Peloton Club. Customers pay a one-time delivery fee plus a monthly fee to rent the Bike or Bike+. The monthly fee includes the bike and a subscription to access all workout classes.On April 14, 2022, it was reported that Peloton reduced the prices of its stationary bikes and treadmills, and would raise the price of monthly subscriptions for classes for Peloton equipment owners. Starting in the US on June 1, 2022, the company raised the price for equipment content subscriptions to $44 per month. The app membership price remained unchanged. The starting price of bikes went down from $1,745 including shipping to $1,445 including shipping, and the starting price of treadmills was lowered from $2,845 including shipping to $2,695 including shipping.In July 2022, it was reported that Peloton would outsource the manufacturing of its stationary bikes and treadmills rather than produce them in-house. The following month, the company announced to employees it would cut some 800 jobs and begin outsourcing some roles and positions.In August 2022, the company announced it would start selling its bikes and gear through Amazon in order to increase the distribution of its products, a move that came after discussions of a potential takeover by Amazon or another firm. On Peloton's earnings call the same month, the company disclosed it had lost $1.2 billion in the fourth quarter. During this period, the company said that it was looking to sell used inventory. Barry McCarthy, the company's chief, referred to this as a top priority.In September 2022, the company announced that co-founder John Foley, chief legal officer Hisao Kushi, and chief commercial officer Kevin Cornils were departing.