Podcast revisits how Nest tried to remake the thermostat
The latest Version History episode examines Tony Fadell’s return from Apple to build Nest and rethink a household device.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
The Verge has released a new episode of its Version History podcast focused on Nest’s early attempt to redesign the thermostat. The episode matters because it revisits how a basic home control became one of the defining products in the early smart home push.
According to The Verge, the episode centers on Tony Fadell, whom it describes as a major Apple product figure who helped create the iPhone before turning his attention to home temperature controls. The Verge says Fadell became frustrated with thermostats that were outdated and costly, prompting a quick return to product development.
The episode is hosted by The Verge’s David Pierce, Nilay Patel and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, according to the publication. Pierce, who wrote the accompanying post, is identified by The Verge as an editor-at-large and co-host of Vergecast who has covered consumer technology for more than a decade.
A smart home origin story
The Verge frames Nest’s founding as a classic Silicon Valley story: a prominent product designer leaves a major success behind, then finds a mundane problem compelling enough to pull him back into building hardware. In this case, The Verge says the problem was the thermostat, a device Fadell believed could be rethought for the modern home.
The podcast looks at the company’s earliest period and the first Nest thermostat, according to The Verge. The publication says Nest grew quickly and credits much of that early momentum to Fadell himself.
The Verge also says the thermostat was not an unqualified success as a product. In its account, the device delivered on several ideas and anticipated where the connected home was headed, while also falling short in meaningful ways.
One detail The Verge highlights is the tool that came with the device: a screwdriver that the publication singles out as memorable. No additional specifications or sales figures are given in the post.
Part of a broader smart home season
The Nest episode is the third installment in the fourth season of Version History, according to The Verge. The publication says the season is focused on smart home products.
The first two episodes in the season covered the Harmony remote and the Roomba vacuum, according to The Verge. The Nest installment continues that theme by looking at a product that tried to make a familiar household object more automated and connected.
The Verge says listeners can get the episode through the Version History podcast feed and the show’s YouTube channel. It also points readers to the podcast’s TikTok and Instagram accounts.
The Verge says its subscribers can access Version History and the company’s other podcasts without ads through account settings. The publication also lists several background links for readers who want more on Nest’s early years, including earlier Verge coverage, a Fortune profile, a New York Times review, an IEEE Spectrum piece and a First Article feature on the thermostat’s internal technology.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.