Teenage Engineering CEO says company plans to stop making synthesizers

Teenage Engineering founder and CEO Jesper Kouthoofd told Highsnobiety that the company plans to stop making synthesizers, including its OP-1. The reported plan would mark a shift for a company best known for its music and audio products.

As part of a reorganization last fall, Kouthoofd told his team he was planning to stop making synthesizers altogether, according to Highsnobiety. He said the OP-1 was no exception. Launched in 2011, the device helped put Teenage Engineering on the map and has been central to the company’s success, the report says.

“The products aren’t the business,” Kouthoofd told Highsnobiety, adding that the company could be “so much more than that.” The remarks suggest a broader view of the business, though Teenage Engineering has not publicly confirmed a decision to end synth production.

The company also works as a design firm and has collaborated with Ikea, Nothing, and Playdate, among others. Its other products include the OP-XY, EP-133, and TP-7, which, like the OP-1, focus on music or audio.

Teenage Engineering did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.