Peloton was a pandemic darling — one of the businesses that seemed to find its purpose as something more than a cultish fad when the world shut down. And then, everything went horribly wrong. First, the supply chain issues with monthslong delays for bikes that irked new customers. Then, a disastrous recall affected both of its treadmills: the Tread Plus, because it injured several users and killed a small child, and the regular Tread, which hadn’t even launched yet because of a wobbly screen. And on top of all that, Peloton failed to account for a world reopening after the first covid-19 vaccines were released. Cue layoffs that came with a free year of membership, a new CEO, and more gaffes than we can count. Cringey commercials, TV characters dying on their Peloton bikes — you name it. But despite the noise, Peloton is still the leader in connected fitness. It sets the trend for the entire category, and CEO Barry McCarthy is currently trying to revive the business with a pivot from expensive hardware to content subscriptions, even though the ongoing Peloton saga is content in and of itself. All of the news and updates about Peloton continue below.
