hopefully this acquisition and the AI background will lead to someone with a handful of AI server things to feed it the oldest of Elektron databases and code adventures, recreate the digital legacy of staff from the past and teach this robot to vibe-code the Elektron devices of the future, from the past but evolved.
iguess at this point AI is going to simply learn a structure that nobody „human“ at Elektron could declutter from old drives and such, but would be manageable with enough ram 
so to sum up… Machinedrum 3, OT3 and one surprise gear on top of those, Elektron, and fans will forgive you this silly little business 
Wow, I am surprised this news get more (of course negative) reactions than positive ones on @nullband’s epic contribution.
Go back to your machines folks, and broadcast music while your machines are not cluttered by AI stuff.
I think there’s a lot of confusion in this thread about who Elektron’s new owners are and what this could mean in future.
Bonnier are a private capital group, family-owned and family-controlled.
Private capital is NOT the same as private equity.
Private equity firms borrow money that they use to acquire a business, sell off its assets, load it up with management fees and debt and then exit with (they hope) a nice big profit. This is the ‘rip, strip, flip’ model and in my personal experience (I’ve advised PE firms and have worked and advised for firms acquired by PE) it is usually a destructive experience for the acquired firm, its employees and its customers. In the musical instrument (MI) market, it is VERY likely to end badly (Native Instruments, for example). The MI market is tough and unpredictable with no guarantee of returns (unlike, say, the utilities sector where PE is commonplace). Short version: PE sucks.
Private capital tends much towards a reinvestment model (proceeds from the last sale are used to fund the next) and a much longer investment time horizon (15+ year holdings are not unusual). That’s particularly the case with family office private capital (where the fund is ultimately controlled by the family that established it). IME there is a much more active investor profile when private capital become involved… they act like long-term owners, not short-term financiers.
I think this is more likely to lead to good outcomes for Elektron than bad (no guarantees, obviously). I would not say that if this were a PE acquisition because I cannot think of a single example of a PE acquisition in the MI sector that has ended well.
Also for context, let’s not forget that InMusic is a privately owned (not PE, not private capital) company focused purely on the MI sector with massive experience in that sector. On paper, if you think PE or private capital investment is bad, then acquisition by a purely MI-focused privately run group would be really good for Elektron, right? Oh no, wait…
Which in turn willl make people complain about how much better the old ones sound, vintage DA converters and all 
They can’t win…
Pleases don’t casually misrepresent the use of flagging or the opinions of others … the vast majority of posts are reflecting what is essentially a sombre or pessimistic hot take
The fact that there’s no room on Elektronauts for memes about actual people from the Bonnier Group is and will remain a misguided idea of what constitutes appropriate humour … it’s simply not a classy move, so kindly avoid such stirring within a volatile topic as requested when the topic was closed temporarily
Just engage in good faith however you perceive developments, nobody is preventing that
So my dream of a digi (or now Tonverk) in a box that’s a little bigger with some added sliders and knobs for an integrated performance mode might finally become true 
. Something like a “Digitone 2 pro” or “Tonverk pro” always seemed like something worth trying out to me. I guess they mean something different with that sentence though.
I hear you, and agree with that meme part too, won’t happen again! 
In connection with the transaction, Jonas Hillman, Alexander Hellström, together with the management team, will reinvest alongside Bonnier Capital, reaffirming their ongoing commitment and active participation in Elektron’s journey.
Since its founding in 1998, Elektron has established a distinct position in electronic music through its unique approach to sound, sequencing, and performance-oriented design. As part of Bonnier, the company will gain access to broader strategic resources while preserving the focus and identity that have defined Elektron over the years.
“Elektron has built a truly distinctive position at the intersection of technology, creativity, and music culture. We are deeply impressed by the team’s craftsmanship and vision, and we see strong alignment with our long-term approach to building enduring, creative businesses in the music industry. Our ambition is to support Elektron’s continued growth while preserving the unique identity that has made it so respected by artists worldwide,” said Jonas Von Hedenberg, Investment Director at Bonnier Capital.
Alexander Hellström, CEO of Elektron, added: “Joining Bonnier marks an exciting new chapter for Elektron. It gives us the support and strategic backing to keep doing what we love most—creating inspiring instruments and pushing the boundaries of sound and performance. At the same time, this is just the beginning of a more ambitious journey ahead. Together with Bonnier Capital, we see strong opportunities to grow further, as we expand our role in shaping the future of electronic music creation.”
AR/A4 needs highest priority in terms of pushing the boundaries of sound and performance 
Fucking A
I think we should all chill and wait and see. I hope Elektron thrives under the new ownership/management and releases stuff some of us will enjoy using.
But even if they don’t, I’m sure we will see other smaller/“independent” brands see the market opening and pick it up, so we can all make music with products we like, which should be our end goal(?) rather than owning a metric ton of “organic, hand-made, mythical synths made by 3 nordic people in their basement” that collect dust.
Now for the trolling: I wonder what Bonnier Capital decides when they see the bill for the cloud storage and bandwidth of all those memes, “your setups”, “last gear I bought”, cats pics and whatnot 
And of course criticising their acquisition in this very place won’t do any good.
+1 for Bill Callahan quote. It’s been too long since I’ve listened to him. He’s going on the playlist for today
Yes, for all my Elektron gear. Better be prepared.
I have worked for 3 businesses that have all been through an enshittening.
Nothing does change for 6 months, that much is true…
Then Key staff and creators who sold get promotions and moved into roles within the larger operation, and bi lines start to slide into branding and promotion materials. So you end up with key staff now enrolled and aligned with the new brand. Ready to move the old and sold into the new paradigm. All primed for the next phase at 12 months after acquisition. Those who sold, after meeting obligations of the contract of sale are scaled back from interaction, but remain on the payroll and ready to rally troops or reassure that all is well and nothing is changing…this is positive and we now have more opportunities to grow…
By 18 month the new guard are nothing short of heavy handed in hamering the remenance of the into submission of its actual agenda, they key staff and entities that sold exit the business having successfully handed over the baby. Staff left had better be on board with the new order of things or they are moved on, truth is a large percentage will be gone as they see the writing on the wall.
The soul of the company has been replaced with formulated corporate enshittening.
With out fail…the enshittening always starts its drone with “nothing will change” but at 18 months, the company is unrecognisable.
Ironically they will probably sell to behringer…
Guess there’s just a lot of knee-jerk reactions. But I do understand that…a lot of companies went south when acquired by an investment firm that only focussed on spreadsheets, and the passionate people within the acquired company were put in the backseat. Nobody hopes this will happen to Elektron, but people are just wary because of former experiences.
I’m worrying now about the decision to name our two King Charles spaniel pups Conde and Naste.
Is func no an option?
Good point, well presented.
Look what happened to Ubisoft 
Im worried about what will happen to Sound Packs!