featured a woman receiving one of Peloton’s $2,000 stationary bikes—its most popular product—as a Christmas gift. Critics labeled it sexist, classist, and dystopian.
The backlash didn’t slow the company down. When Covid-19 began to spread in the US and gyms around the country closed, many Americans turned to home fitness, buying up Peloton’s bikes faster than it could supply them. The company entered the fourth quarter of 2020 with backlogged orders in every region and continues to contend with manufacturing constraints and delivery delays that have left customers angry. In the six months through Dec. 31, Peloton’s sales of fitness equipment rose nearly 170% compared to the same period the year before, reaching almost $1.5 billion.