The Mess at Nest Echoes the Mess in the Smart Home

FORTUNE

Stacey Higginbotham. MARCH 24, 2016, 4:06 PM EDT

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I was doing some casual research into the IoT space for Building/Home Automation and came across this insighting article about Nest. Nest is currently probably the biggest (certainly most high-profile) company in Home Automation with its rockstar CEO, and Apple/Google heritage (Tony Fadell is the Father of the iPod and Google bought it for USD3.2B).

The main takeaway for me from this article is:

The smart home, for better or worse, is an ecosystem. And so far, most companies are trying to make it a platform.

Though this may not apply to the Building Automation space - which seems to be a more established industry.

Besides this insight into the dynamics of building a product and the Home Automation industry, the article also dramatizes some of the inner workings and trials in Nest - which likely resonates with many startup situations).

The main reference material is drawn from another piece in THE INFORMATION: ‘INSIDE TONY FADELL’S STRUGGLE TO BUILD NEST’ which has been described as an 'absolutely brutal.. airing of a ton of dirty laundry'. That article is behind a paywall, but here is a PDF version someone has shared.

Enjoy...

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