Varun Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Boult, has publicly accused leading players in the audio industry of engaging in what he describes as “monopolistic practices” and “anti-competitive behaviour” aimed at undermining his company’s progress.
In a LinkedIn post, Gupta outlined several challenges that Boult has allegedly faced over the years. Among the most serious were attempts by competitors to restrict retail access. “Retailers were told to either stop stocking our product or risk losing everything else on their shelf,” he claimed. Gupta described how “shelves changed overnight… not because we couldn’t deliver, but because we were delivering too well.”
About Boult
Founded in 2017 by brothers Varun and Tarun Gupta, Boult has operated without external funding. Gupta portrayed this approach as a point of contention with larger, well-capitalised rivals. “While others had money, power, and the lobby behind them… We had conviction,” he said, adding that Boult was built “bootstrapped, product-first, and obsessed with quality.”
Other tactics allegedly used against the company include coordinated negative reviews, targeted misinformation, and attempts to lure away key personnel with unrealistic offers. “Fake 1-star reviews pushed in sync with our biggest launches,” and “whisper campaigns in media rooms, DMs, and comment sections” were among the methods he cited. Gupta also mentioned “threats to our team” and “planted bad PR”.
“You don’t grow at all”
Framing the company’s trajectory as one driven by belief over capital, Gupta argued that Boult’s independence may have provoked discomfort among incumbents. “When you grow fast without playing by their rules, they try to make sure you don’t grow at all,” he wrote.
Signalling a shift in strategy, Gupta said this public disclosure ends Boult’s eight-year period of “building in silence”. He indicated that further posts would follow: “We are not just talking anymore, we are naming what others won’t”.
Gupta concluded with a warning, “The longer these tactics stay unspoken, the longer they keep winning. Not because they are better, but because no one calls it out”.