Tony Fadell
Tony Fadell is an engineer, designer and investor who led development of the iPod and early iPhones at Apple, founded Nest Labs in 2010 and launched the Nest Learning Thermostat, now leads the investment and advisory firm Build Collective, and wrote the book Build.
Contents23 sections
Key facts
1980sGrowing Up in Michigan
He grew up in Michigan and took to building things early; he recalled attending 12 schools in 15 years, getting into computers when the Apple II came out, and starting a company in high school and college.[1]
1991Graduates from the University of Michigan
In 1991 he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a university founded in Detroit in 1817 that moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1837; it is governed by a statewide-elected Board of Regents and also has campuses in Dearborn and Flint.Open the full entry.[2]
1992–1999General Magic and Philips
From 1992 to 1995 he was a hardware and software architect at General Magic; he then founded the Mobile Computing Group at Philips Electronics, serving as CTO and director of engineering from 1995 to 1998 and as vice president of Philips Strategy & Venture from 1998 to 1999.[2]
By his own account, General Magic’s Magic Link had a touchscreen, email and downloadable apps but failed; he then pitched a new kind of mobile personal computer to PhilipsPhilipsPhilips (Koninklijke Philips N.V.) is a health technology company founded in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in 1891 by Gerard Philips and his father, Frederik Philips, and now headquartered in Amsterdam; it was long known for lighting and consumer electronics such as the compact cassette and the CD, and was one of TSMC’s founding shareholders.Open the full entry, became CTO at 25, and his team’s Velo and Nino were well reviewed but barely sold.[3]
1999–2000Starts Fuse
He next started Fuse to build digital home music and video systems that could rip CDs; after the internet bubble burst in 2000, all 80 of his pitches to venture capitalists failed.[3]
2001Joins Apple
In 2001 he joined Apple as the first member of its iPod hardware engineering team, and in 2004 he was promoted to vice president of iPod engineering.[4]
October 23, 2001iPod Unveiled
On October 23, 2001, Apple introduced the iPod, whose 5 GB hard drive stored up to 1,000 CD-quality songs, at a suggested retail price of $399, with sales starting November 10.[5]
October 14, 2005Takes Over iPod Engineering
On October 14, 2005, Apple announced that he would succeed Jon Rubinstein, the retiring senior vice president of the iPod Division, reporting to Steve JobsSteve JobsSteve Jobs (1955–2011) was a technology entrepreneur, Apple co-founder, NeXT founder, and investor and former CEO of Pixar. His career spanned personal computing, digital music, smartphones and animated films, with an emphasis on product design, user experience and multidisciplinary teams.Open the full entry and taking over all aspects of iPod engineering.[6]
2005–2008Senior Vice President of the iPod Division
As senior vice president of Apple’s iPod Division, he led the team that created the first 18 generations of the iPod and the first three generations of the iPhone.[7]
November 4, 2008Steps Back at Apple
On November 4, 2008, Apple announced that he and his wife, Danielle Lambert, vice president of human resources, were reducing their roles to devote more time to their young family; he remained as an advisor to the CEO.[8]
May 2010Founds Nest Labs
In October 2009 he met Matt Rogers to discuss the idea for a company; in May 2010 Rogers became a co-founder of Nest Labs, based in Palo Alto, California.[9]
October 25, 2011Launches the Nest Learning Thermostat
On October 25, 2011, Nest announced its $249 learning thermostat and planned to begin shipping it by mid-November.[9]
January 13, 2014Google Acquires Nest
On January 13, 2014, GoogleGoogleGoogle is an American technology company founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin and incorporated in 1998. It became an Alphabet subsidiary in 2015. Its businesses include internet search, advertising, software platforms, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.Open the full entry announced it would acquire Nest for $3.2 billion in cash; he and Matt Rogers joined Google, and Nest kept its own brand identity under his leadership, with the deal pending regulatory approval.[10]
January 2015Oversees Google Glass
In January 2015 Google moved Glass out of Google X and ended the Explorer program, placing Glass under his oversight, with Ivy Ross running day-to-day operations.[11]
June 3, 2016Steps Down as Nest CEO
On June 3, 2016, he announced in a blog post that he was stepping down as Nest CEO, writing that “the time is right to ‘leave the Nest’,” and stayed on as an advisor to Nest and its parent Alphabet; former Motorola executive Marwan Fawaz succeeded him. Nest had faced criticism over employee departures, tensions with Alphabet, product bugs and customer anger over the Revolv shutdown.[12]
October 2017Launches Future Shape
About 15 months after leaving Nest, he launched Future Shape, an investment and advisory firm that uses no outside investors and provides seed funding to companies started by engineers and scientists; he had funded more than 100 companies and was living at least part time in Paris.[13]
May 3, 2022Publishes Build
On May 3, 2022, Harper Business published his book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, which draws on his path from product designer to founder, executive and mentor to offer advice to readers from new graduates to CEOs.[14]
The book became a New York Times best seller.[15]
June 15, 2022Appears on the Lex Fridman Podcast
On June 15, 2022, he appeared on episode 294 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, discussing the Apple II, the iPod, marketing and communications, design, Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, Nest, and advice for young people and founders.[16]
November 2022Joins the Arm Board
In November 2022 Arm appointed him, then Principal of the Build Collective, to its board; he said he had worked with Arm technology for more than 30 years.[7]
December 6, 2022Ledger Stax Unveiled
On December 6, 2022, the crypto hardware-wallet company Ledger unveiled Ledger Stax, which he conceived and designed—a credit-card-sized device with an E Ink display that curves around its spine—with shipping planned by the end of the second quarter of 2023.[17]
November 22, 2024Joins the Ledger Board
In November 2024 Ledger announced that he and Lily Liu had joined its board of directors; he said, “Ledger Stax was an idea that wouldn’t stop chasing me.”[18]
As of October 2026: Leads the Build Collective
As of October 2026 his personal website redirects to the Build Collective’s site; the firm invests money and time to help engineers and scientists build a greener world, backing companies in carbon accounting, energy storage, immunotherapy, waste upcycling and more.[15]
He has filed more than 300 patents.[19]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
X: Public account: https://x.com/tfadell (opens in a new window)[15]
LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyfadell/ (opens in a new window)[15]
Build Collective: Official website: https://www.build-collective.com/ (opens in a new window)[15]
Apple: Official website: https://www.apple.com/ (opens in a new window)[5]
Ledger: Official website: https://www.ledger.com/ (opens in a new window)[17]
Sources
- Tony Fadell: Nest CEO Tony Fadell on the iPod, iPhone, and the importance of shipping products (opens in a new window)
- Tony Fadell – Starmus (opens in a new window)
- Meet Tony | Build Collective (opens in a new window)
- Apple's iPod chief to step down - report (opens in a new window)
- Apple Presents iPod (opens in a new window)
- Tim Cook Named COO of Apple (opens in a new window)
- Arm appoints Tony Fadell to Board of Directors (opens in a new window)
- Mark Papermaster Joins Apple as Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering (opens in a new window)
- Ex-Apple leaders remake the thermostat (opens in a new window)
- Google Is Buying Connected Device Company Nest For $3.2B In Cash (opens in a new window)
- Google Glass Explorer Program Shuts Down, Team Now Reports To Tony Fadell (opens in a new window)
- Nest CEO Tony Fadell Announces His Departure | Fortune (opens in a new window)
- Tony Fadell’s newest product? An investing and advisory firm called Future Shape (opens in a new window)
- Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making (opens in a new window)
- Build Collective | Build Collective (opens in a new window)
- #294 - Tony Fadell: iPhone, iPod, and Nest | Lex Fridman Podcast (opens in a new window)
- Ledger Stax: Our Consumer Device Invented by Tony Fadell, Built by Ledger (opens in a new window)
- Tony Fadell, Inventor Of The iPod And Ledger Stax, Joins Ledger’s Board of Directors (opens in a new window)
- Tony Fadell (opens in a new window)