Technology May 28, 2026 · 1 min read

The secret to Roku’s success: not being cool

This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. Roughly 10 years ago, someone told me that Roku was making "cheap hardware to sell to Walmart customers in flyover states." The remark...

TH
The Verge
by Janko Roettgers
The secret to Roku’s success: not being cool
Roku new homescreen

This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week.

Roughly 10 years ago, someone told me that Roku was making "cheap hardware to sell to Walmart customers in flyover states." The remark was meant to be an insult, belittling a company that seemed to care more about hardware profit margins than design and innovation.

Still, I've been thinking about it a lot over the years. And as Roku became a major force in streaming hardware, surpassing 100 million households last month, I've come to the conclusion that Roku's secret superpowe …

Read the full story at The Verge.

TH
Source

This article was originally published by The Verge and written by Janko Roettgers.

Read original article on The Verge
Back to Discover

Reading List