Roku might be making its own smart speaker

There could be yet another smart speaker to choose from.

The popular streaming device maker Roku may be building its own competitor to the Amazon Echo. Roku already has some voice-command tech, and some publicly available information suggests its leveraging it to branch out into new projects with advanced audio features.

First noticed by Variety, Roku has listed open positions that are specific to tying audio with software. For example, Sr. Software Engineer, New Products, Audio (Expert) requires candidates with experience taking "new hardware platforms from prototype to mass production." Other listings were for applicants with experience with "voice user interface design."

In addition, some current Roku employees have exactly the kind experience the company would want if it were developing a smart speaker. The most notable resumé belongs to Jim Cortez, a Senior Software Engineer who works on voice interfaces for the company. He was previously the cofounder of Ivee, a company that makes smart home speakers in the same vein as the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

All this is speculative, of course. And if Roku is indeed working on a smart speaker, it's entering a crowded space. Along with major players like Amazon, Google, and Apple, companies like Harmon Kardon are slated to introduce their own home hubs. Even Facebook and Samsung are rumored to be working on their own devices.

Roku lacks the most important feature needed for a competent smart speaker, however: a digital assistant, like Alexa or Siri. That means the company would need to develop its own or partner with another company to bring the right software to the platform.

Roku declined to provide comment on Variety's initial report and Mashable's follow-up request for more insight about any potential new hardware. Roku filed for a $100 million IPO at the start of the month and recently launched its own TV channel.