#403: Tony Fadell — On Building the iPod, iPhone, Nest, and a Life of Curiosity
The Tim Ferriss Show
The Importance of Storytelling and Analogies in Communication and Marketing
The speaker learned from Steve the importance of storytelling and using analogies to relate to people on their level. They emphasized the need for great stories and analogies to convey product stories, change processes at work, or make decisions. The speaker mentioned Steve's analogy of the Mac being like a glass of ice water in hell, illustrating the refreshing experience. They also highlighted the effectiveness of concise and dramatic taglines, such as 'a thousand songs in your pocket,' as a powerful example of communication.
Tony Fadell — On Building the iPod, iPhone, Nest, and a Life of Curiosity | Brought to you by SuperFat and Four Sigmatic.
“Get bored. Just put away all of your things. Maybe go clean up the garage or whatever it is. Right? Through that, you're going to start to think differently. You're going to act slightly differently and your mind might open up to other sources of inspiration, other problems...” — Tony Fadell
Tony Fadell (@tfadell), sometimes called "the father of the iPod," is an active investor and entrepreneur with a 30+ year history of founding companies and designing products that profoundly improve people's lives. As the Principal at Future Shape, a global investment and advisory firm coaching engineers and scientists working on foundational deep technology, he is continuing to help bring technology out of the lab and into our lives. Currently, Future Shape is coaching 200+ startups innovating game-changing technologies.
Tony founded Nest Labs, Inc. in 2010 and served as its Chief Executive Officer until his resignation in 2016. He joined Apple Computer Inc. in 2001 and, as the SVP of Apple's iPod division, led the team that created the first 18 generations of the iPod and the first three generations of the iPhone. Tony founded the Mobile Computing Group at Philips Electronics and served as its Chief Technology Officer and Director of Engineering 1995 to 1998, responsible for all aspects of business and product development, including the award-winning Philips Velo and Nino PDAs. From 1998 to 1999, he served as Vice President for Philips Strategy & Venture focused on building out its digital media strategy and investment portfolio. From 1992 to 1995, he served as a Hardware and Software Architect at General Magic, which created the precursor to the iPhone 15 years earlier.
Tony has filed more than 300 patents for his work. In May 2016, Time named the Nest Learning Thermostat, the iPod, and the iPhone three of the "50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time." Tony graduated with a BS degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1991.
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