Ladder, the Austin, Texas-based fitness startup that makes the popular strength-training app, accuses Peloton of plagiarizing its work with the release of Peloton's new app, “Strength+,” which exited beta on Wednesday. I am doing it.
After receiving feedback from Peloton's beta testers that the app was very similar to Ladder's, similar in look, feel, and functionality, the company investigated further and found that members of Peloton's product, engineering, and design teams It said 15 people were found to have been using Ladder's app since January 2024.
Of course, forcing employees of competing fitness-focused companies to use popular workout apps isn't a critical issue. After all, Peloton employees are likely using many competing products as part of their personal investments in health and fitness.
Image credit: Ladder
But Ladder wrote in a blog post that, before noting how frequently Peloton staff used the app and shared graphs, he said, “The team at Peloton has shown us what we do for Ladder members.'' I'm so honored to have been really, really (really) inspired by it all.” Show all sessions.
Additionally, Rudder claimed in his post to X: [user interface/user experience] Screen after screen – unfortunately you will be disappointed. ”
This is a clever way to accuse Peloton of ripping off their product, even though they technically haven't.
Peloton has not yet responded to a request for comment.
The ladder is not necessarily the underdog in this scenario. Peloton was a pandemic-era success story, but has struggled in the years since as people have returned to gyms. The company was also plagued by supply chain issues and product recalls. Peloton laid off 400 employees in May, marking its second CEO change, following John Foley's replacement in 2022 and the firing of 2,800 employees.
Meanwhile, Ladder just received a $105 million Series B funding round announced in November, which included a $90 million go-to-market investment from General Catalyst. At the time, the company claimed that Ladder users had logged 90 million entries in the app's journal and completed more than 15 million workouts. Ladder makes money from a $29.99 monthly subscription on iOS.
Global downloads of Ladder's app from January to November 2024 increased 69% year over year compared to the same period in 2023, while Peloton's installs increased over the same period, according to data from app intelligence firm Appfigures. decreased by 33%.
In other words, Ladder is taking advantage of the news about Peloton's new app release and turning it into its own marketing and advertising opportunity. Ironically, the company did so by drawing “inspiration” from another famous ad. It ran in the early 2000s and was famous for Apple's “Get a Mac” campaign, which personified the Mac as a cool guy in casual clothes and a formal one. A PC man wearing a suit and tie. Ladder is now taking that concept and releasing its own ad campaign, “Ladder Versus,” that instead applies to Peloton and Ladder's respective apps.
The company has published a series of videos on YouTube titled “Ladder Versus Peloton,” in which Peloton is described as a typical “gym buddy,” but Ladder's character is one of several different trainers. So it's probably a cooler trainer.
When asked for comment, Ladder essentially admitted that it was merely promoting its own advertising campaign with the accusations.
When asked if they plan to file a lawsuit against Peloton, a representative for Ladder said: “At Ladder, it has always been our mission to make strength training accessible to everyone. We have really enjoyed this campaign and are grateful for the positive response from the community, but we remains focused on what matters most: our members.”
Updated data about app installations after publication.