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iPod Father Tony Fadell 'Would Have Loved' to Show Nest to Steve Jobs

Thursday June 12, 2014 12:18 pm PDT by Juli Clover
tonyfadellNest creator Tony Fadell, who formerly worked at Apple before starting Nest Labs and launching both a connected thermostat and smoke detector, has shared some details on both his experience at Apple and his encounters with Steve Jobs in a lengthy profile and interview with Fortune.

Dubbed one of the "fathers of the iPod," Fadell started at Apple in 2001, moving on to become SVP of the company's iPod division from 2006 to 2008, where he helped produce early versions of the music player. Fadell clashed with Jobs and other executives at times, and says he had to "repeatedly quit" to get his way at the company.
One time, after key members of his iPod team had been raided for another Apple project, Fadell informed Jobs he was done, and the CEO asked him to stay, telling Fadell he was overreacting. "I said, 'I'm not overreacting.' I told him I was out. If you didn't stand up for yourself, no one else would." (Fadell says he recanted at least two resignations, having gotten his way each time.)
Jobs and Fadell reportedly had a relationship that "alternated between the father/son and school principal/naughty student archetypes." Fadell often argued with Jobs, who thought Fadell "asked too many questions," which would frustrate him. Fadell left Apple after marrying Danielle Lambert, a human resources executive who worked as a "super-key" recruiter.

Fadell, who launched a stealth startup in home automation in 2010 that eventually lead to the ultra popular Nest, says that he wishes he had been able to tell Jobs about Nest. While they spoke about Fadell's startup, Jobs was very ill when the Nest was ready to launch.
By the time Fadell was ready to share more in the summer of 2011, however, Jobs had grown gravely ill, and he died several weeks later. "I would have loved to have been able to show it to him, but the timing didn't work," he says. Jobs presumably would have been proud of Fadell. And he almost certainly would have asked a lot of questions.
Nest went on to be acquired by Google in January of 2014, in a deal that netted the company $3.2 billion. Though now a Google employee, Fadell continues to operate Nest independently, budgeting one day a week to visit Google and learn how it can help Nest in the long run.

The full profile of Tony Fadell, which includes more information on his history, the development of Nest, and his time at Apple, can be read over at Fortune.

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ActionableMango
68 months ago
It seems like a neat product. It's too bad he sold out to Google. Undoubtedly Nest will serve Google ads some day.

Before you laugh or call BS on me, it's right in Google's letter to the SEC (http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000128877613000074/filename1.htm):

For example, a few years from now, we and other companies could be serving ads and other content on refrigerators, car dashboards, thermostats, glasses, and watches, to name just a few possibilities.


What a terrible vision of the future.
Rating: 33 Votes
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dannyyankou
68 months ago
I'm sure a lot of people would've loved to show Steve Jobs a lot of things.
Rating: 13 Votes
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dazed
68 months ago
Good luck to him. He had a vision and developed it into billions of $$

As if no one here would sell their business to Google if the price was right. :rolleyes:
Rating: 13 Votes
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aarond12
68 months ago
This is why I recently purchased a Honeywell thermostat. Yeah it doesn't do all of what the Nest does, but it's enough. And Google won't know when I'm home or not. :mad:
Rating: 10 Votes
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aprofetto8
68 months ago
Fadell sold out. Can't wait until my Nest starts showing me ads.
Rating: 9 Votes
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GubbyMan
68 months ago
I'm sure Steve would have been proud to hear that Nest was bought by Google. /s
Rating: 7 Votes
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ryansimmons323
68 months ago
He wouldn't like to see it now.
Rating: 6 Votes
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C DM
68 months ago

I love(d) my Nest, but the day after the announcement they sold out to Google, I disconnected it from the network. Now it's just a beautiful dumb-thermostat, but at least I can still use it (minus remote management and reports) and no data is being sent to/from Nest/Google.

It's a shame, really. Nest didn't sell their product to Google, they sold the trust of their customers, and that was a really slimy thing to do. Ah well, I'd probably sell the soul of my beloved creation and the trust of my customers for $3.2B also.

Somehow most people likely don't care if Google knows that they are heating or cooling their place.
Rating: 6 Votes
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crsh1976
68 months ago

Fadell sold out. Can't wait until my Nest starts showing me ads.


As opposed to your iPhone relaying iBeacon-pushed ads?
Rating: 5 Votes
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MonstaMash
68 months ago
I am not sure if Google is too happy about the acquisition. In the few months with the company, they have gone through both software glitches (their ratings have tanked on Amazon) and a product recall. Right now, the units are being heavily discounted, possibly hoping to re-energize the stagnant inventory.

Lots of potential with Nest, for sure, but we are seeing competitors ramp up. In particular, the HomeKit-enabled Honeywell Lyric (http://www.lyric.honeywell.com/) that was just announced seems to signal that a battle is in the air.

Not sure if Google made the best choice to buy the product, nor Fadell with the choice to sell.
Rating: 5 Votes

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