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PelotonBest known for selling stationary bikes that stream on-demand and live spin classes, Peloton is a fitness, tech, and media company founded in 2012. Since then, it has not only expanded beyond cycling, selling treadmills, rowing machines, and corresponding classes for both, but also surged in popularity, attracting a cultlike following of more than 5 million users. Cofounder and former Barnes & Noble executive John Foley was inspired to start Peloton after he and his wife found themselves frequently skipping in-person spin classes due to busy schedules. Boutique cycling classes were booming at the time—SoulCycle hit $100M in revenue in 2014. Despite a loyal early group of users, Peloton struggled to find early investors. Things picked up soon after its 2019 IPO, with 2020's pandemic-era lockdowns spurring Peloton's growth significantly: Sales grew roughly 172% between Q4 2019 and Q4 2020. More recently, Peloton has struggled with profitability (partially due to many users returning to gyms post-pandemic), reporting net losses in 2025 amid significant executive turnover.Explore Peloton

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Peloton paid a $19M fine for its handling of treadmill injuriesIn 2021, a six-year-old died after getting caught underneath a Peloton treadmill. A federal investigation into the company revealed that Peloton knew about injuries on the treadmill as early as 2018 and failed to report the incidents to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. USA TODAY In 2021, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby came in third place in 'Dancing With The Stars'Rigsby has the largest social media following of any Peloton instructor as of this writing and is reportedly one of the highest-paid instructors. When he competed on the show in 2021, some fans felt like his cult-like following from Peloton kept him on the show, despite not being the strongest dancer. Peloton pays artists more for music than most streaming platformsSince the on-demand classes are technically live performances, Peloton has to pay both for the rights to the song itself and for the right to actually play the song. As a result, Peloton pays more money than many other streaming platforms to use artists' music, with some reports saying Apple Music reportedly pays 0.1 cents per stream and Peloton pays 3.1 cents per stream. InsideHook The fitness industry has seen a lot of fads—and Peloton might be one of themLike SoulCycle and Tae Bo, Peloton has struggled to stay at the forefront of the fitness industry. Despite periods of incredibly high interest and high-profile users (like the Obamas), Peloton has lost many users since the pandemic ended—and has struggled to add more. (Some users may experience a paywall.) The New York Times How Peloton got moms hookedPeloton's at-home workout classes were a game-changer for parents, giving them a chance to squeeze a workout in without leaving the house. The community group feature on Peloton created a sense of community that made users incredibly loyal to the brand. See how a top Peloton instructor spends her dayRobin Arzón is Peloton's VP of fitness programming and the lead instructor at Peloton. Besides teaching multiple classes a day, she reserves seven hours a week for her own personal training and says she trains like a high-intensity athlete. (Some users may experience a paywall.) The New York Times Peloton, 'And Just Like That …,' and Chris Noth: all about Mr. Big's Peloton death and the following adIn the "Sex and the City" spin-off "And Just Like That …", Mr. Big—played by Chris Noth—dies after having a heart attack after a Peloton class. In real life, the Peloton team had not been informed of the plot point. Peloton worked quickly to create an ad starring Noth in just two days in an attempt to get ahead of the story. But very soon after, Noth received public sexual assault allegations, leading to Peloton pulling the ad. CNET Owning a Peloton has become a status symbolGiven the relatively high financial barriers to entry—with its cheapest bikes selling on its website for almost $2K—owning a Peloton has become a status symbol for some, representing the disparity between access to fitness between the upper and lower classes in the US (especially during COVID). Yahoo Finance John Foley was the president of e-commerce at Barnes & Noble before founding PelotonFoley worked for Barnes & Noble during the company's race against Amazon to dominate the e-reader market (Barnes & Noble had the Nook and Amazon had the Kindle). Foley says his time working for Barnes & Noble helped him learn the business of digital media, which is a core element of Peloton's business. The COVID-19 pandemic both boosted Peloton's business and shook it up completelyWhile demand for Peloton's at-home fitness equipment soared during the pandemic, the company didn't necessarily have the infrastructure to support the breakthrough sales. In 2021, Peloton bought Precor—a fitness equipment manufacturing company—to help boost domestic production and decrease a backlog of orders. The Wall Street Journal In November 2025, Peloton issued a recall on more than 800,000 bike seatsYears after high-profile recalls on the treadmill due to reported injuries and even a death, Peloton issued another recall on the Peloton Plus bike seat. The company said it received three reports of the seatpost breaking. Peloton's founder once said the company 'sells happiness' before a disappointing initial public offeringAhead of the company's IPO, Peloton founder John Foley told investors that "on the most basic level, Peloton sells happiness." However, the inspirational sentiment didn't stick with investors—the company closed the day of its IPO with stocks trading down 11% from the IPO price. (Some users may experience a paywall.) The Washington Post Peloton instructors have built expansive personal brandsOutside of teaching Peloton classes, many instructors have amassed large social media followings and brand deals—ranging from modeling for Puma and Adidas to "Dancing With The Stars" appearances. On top of their influencer work, leading instructors at Peloton—like Cody Rigsby, Emma Lovewell, and Robin Arzón—reportedly earn salaries of more than $500K. TIME Raising the price of a Peloton bike increased the company's early sales—and that's part of why the bikes are so expensiveThe original Peloton stationary bikes sold for about $1.2K, but Peloton founder John Foley said that price point made consumers skeptical of the product's quality. After increasing the price of a bike to $2K, Foley said people started to believe it was a quality product, and sales soon increased. Peloton's success is partly due to users' relationships with instructorsDespite Peloton's online model, most users feel a deep connection with the instructors and have created community groups around their shared identities (like being a mom or a lawyer). The relationship users have with their instructors has fueled consistent engagement and paved the way for instructors to take on personal brand deals. (Some users may experience a paywall.) The Atlantic Peloton makes most of its money via monthly subscriptionsPeloton has two core revenue streams: the exercise equipment it sells and the company's monthly subscription that gives users access to its class library. More than half of Peloton's revenue comes from the company's core product, the monthly subscription. Its "Peloton App+" membership tier is $28.99 per month. Investopedia Peloton hit a million subscribers in June of 2020The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in record-breaking sales for Peloton, as gyms closed and at-home fitness classes became the new norm. However, Peloton struggled to keep up with the increased demand. As the COVID-19 pandemic's lockdowns lifted, many people returned to the gym, reducing their need for on-demand at-home fitness classes. Some say Peloton's strong subscriber base is the ticket to helping the company eventually become profitable. Peloton raised more than $300K in 30 days during its Kickstarter campaignPeloton ran a Kickstarter campaign in 2013, hoping to raise $250K and ended the campaign with $307K. Peloton sold its first bikes during that campaign for $1.5K. Foley later said that most of the bike purchases came from investors, not necessarily new customers. More than 400 investors turned Peloton down in its initial funding roundsPeloton founder John Foley said investors rejected the company's initial funding requests because there was no clear indication of what the market for at-home fitness classes looked like. Ultimately, more than 200 angel investors gave the company its first round of cash. (Some users may experience a paywall.) Business Insider The controversial 'Peloton Wife' ad from 2019 cost the company more than $1B in market valueThe 2019 ad of a man gifting his wife a Peloton exercise bike sparked a wave of controversy, with some calling the ad sexist and fatphobic. The ad's backlash decreased the company's market value by $1.6B. The word 'Peloton' comes from the word for the main group of riders in a cycling raceThe word itself is French for "ball," but became the inspiration for the word "platoon" in the 17th century to describe a group of soldiers. Now, it's a common cycling term and the main focal point in cycling races. Merriam-Webster Jenn Sherman was the first Peloton instructorJenn Sherman sent an email to Peloton with the title, "This is why you need to hire me." After auditioning, she became the very first Peloton cycle instructor. Since then, she's amassed a loyal following for her brash personality. Aristophanes was put on trial for his satireThe ancient Greek’s 426 BCE play “The Babylonians” criticized Athens’ role in the Peloponnesian War. The politician Cleon accused the dramatist of being unpatriotic, but that didn’t thwart Aristophanes. Two years later, Aristophanes premiered “The Knights,” which mocked Cleon, leaving him working as a sausage seller outside the city. Utah State University Adam Neumann started another real estate company after WeWorkFormer WeWork CEO Adam Neumann has attempted to purchase WeWork before, although, thus far, he hasn’t been successful. Since leaving the company, he has founded a residential real estate firm, among other projects. South China Morning Post A day in the life of an ancient Athenian during the Peloponnesian WarIn 427 BCE, Athens was at war with Sparta and losing badly, and now its inhabitants had to decide the fate of another city that had revolted against Athenian rule. Follow along with the fictional Archias, Dexileia, and their three children as they live through the tumult of a city in conflict in this five-minute animation. TED-Ed

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