Tony Fadell: new Steve Jobs or Larry Page new?

In the past, he oversaw the creation of the Apple iPod and has been one of the potential candidates for the role of CEO. Now - this is the founding father of Nest, recently sold his brainchild Google for $ 3.2 billion, to make every effort to enter into our home with you.

In a recent issue of the popular business magazine Fortune published an interesting article about Tony Fadell, Which refers to the way of its development, the period of work at Apple, care and based on the company's own Nest, as well as future prospects, in the light of the recent transition Nest under the wing of Google, the role of Fadell and his career development in the new place. As you know, Apple is working closely with the Nest, and the stories about the key figures working (Worked) in our beloved apple company, we have always been of interest to our readers, so we decided to move it for you.

In late 1991, a young entrepreneur by the name of Tony Fadell is trying to convince Stewart Alsop, a journalist recently became an investor to invest in its startup Fuse Systems. Prior to that, Fadell worked at General Magic, a young company in the field of mobile software, and then Philips, creating a division of mobile products. However, neither the General Magic, or PDA Philips have not had much success. Fadell therefore decides to launch a new startup, in which he will be able to apply their knowledge and experience. His eloquence was far from perfect and he just said Alsop, "I know about mobile products more than anyone else. Give me the money. "Alsop rejected him.

It has been a long ten years before Fadell turned again to investors, but during this decade, he learned a lot. Toni scored Fuse Systems and came to Apple, to lead the team, create iPod. It was a great achievement - iPod rejuvenated Apple and changed the usual foundations of the music industry, and with the Fadell itself has changed, turning from a poor startups in an experienced manager, who could resist the fury Steve Jobs. In Silicon Valley Fadell also known as the "godfather» iPod, and there is a brilliant place to his credit - participation in the development of the original iPhone. After his retirement from leading positions at Apple in 2008, it has been much talk of his fate.

Instead of throwing from side to side, Fadell took a couple of years of vacation, which he spent on travel and build a country house. The latter was crucial importance. Faced with the choice of the thermostat during home, he decides to create his own, which is better than all existing at the time - this idea became the basis for his new company Nest Labs. Collection of funds began in 2010 and this time was much better perceived by potential investors. In addition, Tony has become more eloquent. Randy Komisar, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, recalls the black velvet, which was covered submitted product and says Fadell could remove it only after to be fully built economic justification.

For those who are interested in Apple's, it is obvious that feature a velvet hooded device - a tribute to Steve Jobs. The late CEO often harbored products on public presentations and even in their own conference room to create more excitement. However, when Fadell brushed velvet curtain, showing a prototype of the round thermostat Komisar was upset. "I could not imagine anything worse than this," - he said. But he perked up after Fadell demonstrated last slide "After the thermostat, we We plan to do the same with all the household appliances that you hate and make them magical. " Komisar said, "Then I take it. Nest is a Trojan horse that will make the way into our homes. The check will be at you within 48 hours, Tony. "

Today Nest - a company that has in its line of products just two devices, "smart" thermostat, and based on it the smoke detector, submitted in 2013. At the same time Fadell is a billionaire who sold Google's business for $ 3.2 billion in January this year. Nest is still focused on selling more products for the home and Google in this have your interest - in this way it will be Apple remain a thorn in the eye, hungry for more integrated into everyday life of users and Comsat, its rival in the field of business communications.

With regard to Fadell, it now occupies a rare place in Silicon Valley. The only successor to Jobs, has reached unprecedented heights after leaving Apple, he yavlyaetya link between his [Jobs] conceived, but never The implementation of the concept of the "digital living room" and a new meme 'Internet of Things', a vision of the set of our usual everyday devices connected to net. In addition, Fadell is an exception to the general rule of Apple executives, as he had the opportunity to develop as an extraordinary personality, in contrast to the rest of the team.

Fadell Nest continues to operate as a kvazinesavisimoy company with rapidly increasing number of staff (over 460 employees), which are subject to CEO Google Larry Page. Alsop draws attention to the severity of the developing events in the Valley. Given that the Nest is still in its infancy, the Google is paying $ 1 billion for Nest and 2 billion for the most Fadell. "I think it's reasonable," - said Alsop. Komisar who persuaded Fadell not sell Nest, adds: "I think Larry has bought on the cheap Apple embryo".

The story of how Fadell in its 45 years, has combined all our experience to create something new and impressive, a very interesting example in entrepreneurship and career development theory. He learned a lot from Steve Jobs, but the story with Nest shows that its success does not depend only on the knowledge obtained from a mentor. Before his departure, rumors circulated that it can lead the company as the new CEO. These rumors were resumed when the bigwigs of Silicon Valley began to wonder whether Apple will buy Nest, in particular in order to return Fadell. If he could return to the company, having achieved such considerable success abroad? Or he could become a follower of Page on Google? The answer depends largely on how successful will Fadell Nest, turning the well-established technology in our homes.

Fadell history originates in Michigan, where he was born and where his family has repeatedly returned on time movement across the United States because of the work head of the family. Fadell was Senior Director of Sales in the jeans company Levi Strauss and his son, for his 15 years, he studied in 12 schools. He traveled around the country in a young age, and when he was already in high school in Grosse Pointe South High School, where it studied with the children from the families of the ruling elite automotive industry. The tradition of his family, Midwestern, were the same variety as the place where he grew up. The roots of the mother Fadell ranged from working-class suburb of Detroit, a place called Polish city. His father grew up in a large Lebanese family in Toledo.

On Christmas Eve we had Lebanese food and at Christmas we ate Polish-Russian dish, "- said Fadell.

Tony is a born craftsman, he has a bald head and a powerful voice. He attributes this trait of his grandfather on the maternal side, the inspector of the school district in Michigan, who was a master of all trades, and helping with home repair all the neighbors.

"He collected and piled every nut, bolt or wire," - says Fadell. "He had a box of cigars under the brim full of all sorts of things and we often were making something together. Birdhouse, lawn mower and other such things. He loved tools. "

As a teenager, Fadell went to programming circle in summer school and longed for Apple II computer. Grandfather thought tools PCs, putting them on a par with screwdrivers and saws, so he agreed to add the remaining amount to the one that had saved Tony laboring at a local country club, so he can buy a computer.

Love to computers and tinkering with tools could have an impact on the career Fadell. At the University of Michigan, he studied computer engineering and in the same place, in the dorm room he invented and sold his first startup to create a multimedia software for children. In 1991, after graduation, he moved to Silicon Valley, where he tried to convince his bosses at General Magic to create a device that operates on an innovative platform Magic Cap. He failed to do that and he goes to the company Philips, which proved to be more compliant and hired them to create based on Microsoft CE products.

PDA Philips Velo and Nino had some success, but Fadell knew from experience what it is to promote a product without the support from above, especially in the field of sales and marketing. "Employees of stores and sales agents Philips had a percentage of sales of TVs," - he says. When a few years later, Steve Jobs and John Rubinstein called him to Apple to work on the music player, Fadell knew all the pitfalls. "I discussed this with Steve," - he says. "I failed on line marketing to Philips. I have created a good product, but we could not sell them. I knew that we needed the support of senior officials. " Jobs' answer was unequivocal over, he said: "We take up the Sony».

Beginning his career in the Apple iPod as a team consultant in 2001, it quickly ceases full-time employees and earns a "fighting" reputation in disputes with his boss Rubinstein, his potential rival Scott Forstallom and often with himself Jobs.

Legend has it that Jobs periodically fired Fadell. In fact, according to Fadell, he left himself. Once, when key members of the iPod team were transferred to work on other projects Apple, Fadell Jobs announced his resignation. CEO asked him to stay, telling him that he is too often overreacting. "I told him that I quite. If you yourself can not stand up for themselves, for you will not do it no one ", - says Fadell (according to him, he refused, at least twice, staying in his opinion).

Relations Jobs and Fadell often changed from "father-son relationship" to "relations director of the school and unruly students."

"He thought I was going to ask too many questions," - said Fadell. "I could go on asking. What about this? How about that? And he would say: "Enough, enough". That would disappoint him. But then the question would be asked, he and I would have to talk to, "Steve, leave me alone."

But Fadell at Apple stood out not just bickering with Jobs, but also for the reason that it maintained its previous communication outside the company. He was associated with the authors of start-ups, held talks with investors, that is to interact with a variety of contacts with whom Jobs prefers to deal in person. He even started a friendship with journalists, including the veteran New York Times in the field of technology, John Markoff, with whom they regularly chosen to cycling, with Randy Commissars of Kleiner.

The already strained relationship with Jobs became even more difficult after Fadell started dating Daniel Lambert, he was head of HR-department. During their first meeting, organized by one of the common friends among the company's employees, Fadell and Lambert sat and chatted in the lobby of the building Apple headquarters. This blind date has become even more awkward when held by Jobs, puzzled conversation his top executives to clearly abstract themes. Lambert came to Apple as a recruiter, that was one of the aspects of the work with the staff, to which Jobs has great respect. "Dani was very important for Steve, who always thought of others," - Jerry Murdock says, Nest investor and friend. In 2008, Lambert and Fadell, who married while still at Apple, announced his retirement the same day. Together with the children they fled to France where he rented an apartment in Paris.

Fadell says his departure from the company as a retirement. He enjoyed a 18-month break, which was paid to him as an adviser to Jobs, Apple in accordance with the contract. At that time, he was directly involved in the construction of his stately home near Lake Tahoe and it was at that time hit on the idea of ​​creating a better world in the thermostat. He also realized that there are many more other home devices that he could do better and came to him to realize that this is an excellent idea for the company.

When he returned to Silicon Valley in 2009, he met at lunch with his former intern at Apple, Matt Rogers, who was still there, though it has been nearly thirty. Faithful disciple Fadell was ready for something new. "Staying in the team, Tony, after his departure, it was damn bad," - says Rogers, who is now 31. The following year, after Fadell verunlsya California, Rogers retires from Apple and Fadell became a partner in his secret startup with an office in the garage near Stanford University.

Born with failure in his previous startups, Tony from the very beginning had a holistic view of the Nest and enlisted supertyazhelovesnyh consultants. For example, sales and marketing, he drew Bill Campbell of Intuit Inc., Apple board member who was very well acquainted with the possibilities of Fadell and is often invited as a management consultant across Silicon Valley. Fadell We had a choice of investors and in the first round he chose Kleiner, abandoning the Benchmark Capital services. Google Ventures and other investors invested in Nest later.

"We were so excited to have agreed to pay him tens of millions of dollars, even if he was involved with winter tires or diapers," - says David Crane from Google.

What makes Fadell investors in the early stage was high-thermostat in combination with a smoke detector and carbon monoxide. Standing 249 dolllarov round ball it was packed with all kinds of sensors and is equipped with Wi-Fi. The revolutionary aspect of all this was that the thermostat was learner: he remembered the habits of users, it can be controlled from your smartphone, and he used a variety of tricks to save electricity. The first product launch took place in 2011. The company does not disclose sales figures, but according to an authoritative source, Nest has sold nearly a million thermostats. The newer version, called Nest Protect, equipped with smoke detectors and gas, has been based on the standard device and brought an update is available to owners of the previous version of the thermostat. For example now in the low battery, the device alerts you to pre-recorded human voice, rather than the contrary pilikanya middle of the night. Nevertheless Nest faced and the first failure in the same year, 440 000 to find devices that could spontaneously disconnected smoke detector. The company has stopped for some time of sale, to resolve the problem by updating the software.

Fadell was considering what type of conduct he would like to see in the Nest and Lambert introduced him to consultant Management Keith Yamashita, who helped him in this, in spite of the fact that with the founding of the company has only a few months. "I was surprised that he would ask me about the things that are usually interested in more experienced leaders", - says Yamashita. "Questions about leadership. On culture. On the center of attention. The main features of Nest and how to make it unique. We talked about his vision of a rethinking of the usual everyday things and their effects. He plans to have dozens of foods that could get a second life. "

Fadell and Rogers focused on finding and hiring top managers, especially paying attention to talent from Apple. «Apple a big company," - said Rogers. «IPod was not a priority for the company after the departure of Tony and this business has to decline. Care talented people to the side to create some other things, in fact, did not raise a lot of noise. "

Another weapon at the disposal of the team Fadell was Lambert, who advised them in matters of recruitment for senior positions. As vspomiaet Fadell, she simply said: "I deal with him. I can handle it. I do not think we can find a better person who would benefit from the company at any level. " And it's not just words of support for her husband. Lambert remained oche demand HR-specialist, unless the company can convince her to go back to work full-time. Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and CEO of Square then emerging startup, recently crossed paths with Lambert at some public event and told her, "I heard you are not available."

Fadell and Rogers scored in his team of very experienced managers, which was strange to see such a young company. For example, among the first they hired Shiga Honjo, highly qualified expert in the radio frequency spectrum from Apple. They offered him the same position he held in the Apple - Technical product manager, despite the fact that there was not even any product, not to mention the state of Engineers, which he had lead. He brought in his Nest established links and credibility of suppliers. Honjo said that usually young companies are fighting for to meet up with them, with all the Nest was different - distributors themselves have sought to work with a team of Apple, and their calls answered top managers.

"In our garage came even CEO Texas Instruments», - says Honjo.

The only thing Nest founders did not seek to completely recreate was Apple culture. The Nest has some unusual traditions that are not in Apple. For example, summer interns in a company called "chicks» (nestlings). Employees are encouraged to express their views, and they are free to communicate with their colleagues at any level, while in Apple's best to keep their opinions to themselves. Apple remains very structured company, Nest, on the contrary pryapyatstvuet this. "The situation here is different from Apple that we are all under one roof" - says Jose Kong, a former Apple recruiter, occupying the same position in the Nest. "We are all working side by side."

But what really sets Apple under Jobs' leadership and Fadell Nest is full recognition of the leader. Fadell is often immersed in the details of working moments, whether in the corporate blog posts or algorithms that control the thermostat sensors. He is known as a demanding boss who carefully prepared and demands the same from his subordinates. "I look at things from a technical point of view", - he says. "I want to know all the variables."

By the end of 2013 Nest starts to think about attracting large investments. The company is interested two large firms that have made a name for itself on investing in relatively successful starapy Silicon Valley - Rizvi Traverse Management and DST, which was rated Nest cost 3 billion dollars. To feel, Google may immediately offers to buy all this through its venture capital fund.

Google also promises to allow Nest to operate independently, while remaining an independent business with Fadell and Rogers at the helm. However, instead of moving the headquarters of the search giant's Mountain View, Nest decides to stay in Palo Alto. "I almost feel like we sold the company," - says Rogers. "This is not like selling. My colleagues and I call it a way to attract investment and get more opportunities. "

No desire to get something, but heavily and was the main reason why the company has sold himself. "Over the next few years, Google is willing to invest billions in the Nest" - says Komisar, the investor of the Kleiner Perkins. "I, as a venture capitalist, only hundreds of millions can offer."

Fadell and his colleagues do not apply to the products on which they are currently working, but he recently mentioned home security, health and preservation of water resources, as possible directions activity. Various pieces of information available confirms the great plans Nest. Kong, the main recruiter of the company says: "I have been subordinated to seven people to deal with Google. After six weeks under my command was thirty. " As to when to expect the next new product from Nest, Rogers hinted: "Like everyone else, we like to get electronics for Christmas."

Since Google does not have the big experts on hardware evil among the parts of high officials, as was announced a deal with Nest, immediately rumors about how high up the career ladder can fly Fadell. At the moment, Fadell not spread about his role at Google and to exercise restraint. He says that in its schedule is planned one day to visit the Google, dedicated to meetings with heads at various levels, in order to achieve two goals: to learn more about Google and find out how effective it can help Nest.

Opinions insiders agree that Fadell will receive a significant role at Google, particularly given the interest of the Internet giant in the Softpedia products. "If Tony goes uphill and becomes a part of the management team, we will see a big splash hardware perfection", - said Bill Campbell, a former adviser to Page, at Google. "He is impatient. He wants everyone to work in his rhythm and his meticulously. "

Fadell says that he likes to Google kultrura, especially in comparison with Apple. "I get an email from Google employees from around the world", - he says. "Communication at Apple, by contrast, were rigidly structured." On a more significant role, he says that now there is no time. "I'm just trying to establish a connection with the people."

Combining with the Internet giant to profit from prodzhi ads based on user information, it has created some problems for Fadell. After completion of the transaction with the Nest, in the signed documents found references to the thermostat as household items, which can show your ads in the future. Fadell immediately issued a statement saying that Google had no plans to use the Nest thermostat to display advertising. "We said at the outset that there is no sense to show ads on devices for users who have already paid their money," - he says.

If there is one thing that gnaws Fadell, is the fact that he never talked about Nest Jobs. During their dialogue, Jobs was interested in secret startup Fadell, who told him that he has to do with energy efficiency (A feature key commercial thermostats Nest, is the saving of electricity, due to the fact that the device knows when it will not necessary). The summer of 2011, when Fadell was ready to share your idea, the state of Jobs has deteriorated significantly, the disease has progressed and a few weeks later he died. "I'd love to show him his project, but he was not ready yet", - he says. Tailor all, Jobs would be proud Fadell. And certainly he would have a lot of questions.

(via)