Teenage Engineering plans to stop making synthesizers

Teenage Engineering is planning to walk away from the very hardware that made it famous.

In an interview with Highsnobiety, founder and CEO Jesper Kouthoofd revealed he told his team last fall that the company will stop making synthesizers. That decision includes the iconic OP-1, the portable synth that put the brand on the map in 2011. Kouthoofd explained that "the products aren't the business" and that the firm can "be so much more than that." As reported by The Verge, Teenage Engineering did not immediately return a request for comment.

Why it matters: Almost all of the company's standalone products—including the OP-XY, EP-133, and TP-7—are built for music and audio. Stepping away from synths signals a hard pivot toward broader consumer design, expanding on its past collaboration work with brands like Ikea, Nothing, and Playdate.

Know this: If you have been planning to pick up an OP-1 or another Teenage Engineering synth, fresh factory units might soon be a thing of the past.

It turns out even cult-classic hardware isn't safe when a design firm decides to reinvent itself.