Tony Fadell
Tony Fadell
Anthony Michael "Tony" Fadellis a Lebanese-American inventor, designer, entrepreneur, and angel investor. He served as the Senior Vice President of the iPod Division at Apple Inc., from March 2006 to November 2008 and is known as "one of the fathers of the iPod" for his work on the first generations of Apple's music player. In May 2010, he founded Nest Labs, which announced its first product, the Nest Learning Thermostat, in October 2011. Nest was acquired by Google in January...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionInventor
Date of Birth22 March 1969
CountryUnited States of America
It's easy to solve a problem that everyone sees, but it's hard to solve a problem that almost no one sees.
When I encounter a problem - something that's not quite right with a product - I enjoy breaking it down in my mind and exploring possible alternative solutions: Why this? Why not that? I apply the latest in technology and design to reinvent that product and solve my frustrations.
Every team member who brings intelligence, experience and passion to their creations should be called an artist or designer.
Over the next ten years, everything that has a cord is going to have data in it.
People buy products, and they want to understand what those things are and how they are applicable to their life.
Even if you have constrained resources, don't cut corners. People will feel it.
I've been working with contractors designing and building a house on a nonstop basis since I learned about all these systems of audio, construction, electricity, energy, water systems.
Usually, the biggest companies are not the most dynamic.
We built the iPod in weeks. It had to be what I thought it was going to be because there wasnt time for endless refinements.
Learning by doing is the only way I know how to learn.
Every person I talk to has a story about how their smoke alarm went off or woke them up with a battery beeping. So you take it off the wall and you take the battery out and say screw this. They hate the products.
You have to look at why people come and work at Nest. Part of it is that a lot of people here already know each other, but we're also on a mission with a purpose. People are personally motivated by energy or safety.
We work crazy hours in Silicon Valley; my wife says we're all kind of diseased in some way. We're totally obsessive compulsive - when we see an idea, we're like, 'let me in, it's so much fun.'
With most tech guys, it's the same outfit every day - they wear their company logo.