Google has bought Nest Labs, a company which makes smart thermostats and smoke alarms.
Tony Fadell, founder and CEO of Nest Labs, was best known in years past as one of the iPod’s developers. He and fellow Apple engineer Matt Rogers co-founded Nest Labs in 2010, developing smart devices that keep users safe and help prevent energy waste.
The company announced yesterday that it has been acquired by Google for $3,2-billion.
“When Matt and I started Nest in 2010, we were determined to change our homes and the world around us,” Fadell writes on the company blog.
“Starting a business focused on the lowly thermostat seemed like a crazy idea at the time, but it made all the sense in the world to us. That little device that went unnoticed and unchanged year after year on the walls of our homes was a lost opportunity to save energy and money. We knew we could do better.
“So we got to work. From the beginning, our vision was to create a conscious home. A home that is more thoughtful, intuitive – and nice to look at. No one had cracked the code and we were confident we could do it with the right product, the right team, and focus.
“Fast-forward to today, and we are well on our way to achieving what we set out to do. Our products are loved by customers, best-sellers across major retailers and installed in homes around the world. We have partnerships with some of the largest energy companies in the country to help people save energy and money.
“We have a huge team of 25 000-plus certified professionals who help install Nest in the US and Canada and our company has more than 300 employees spread across three countries.”
He says the partnership with Google will help the company to realize its vision of the conscious home.
“Google has the business resources, global scale and platform reach to accelerate Nest growth across hardware, software and services for the home globally,” Fadell says.
“And our company visions are well aligned – we both believe in letting technology do the hard work behind the scenes so people can get on with the things that matter in life. Google is committed to helping Nest make a difference and together, we can help save more energy and keep people safe in their homes.”