Fadell says that the plan to leave Nest has been in the works since late 2015, so all these 2016 mishaps could have accelerated the change over or were a particularly bad case of no longer giving a fuck. Fadell’s new role will be as an adviser to Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and CEO Larry Page.
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His departure follows major employee turnover at Nest, as well as numerous critiques – some on the record, some off the record – from current and former Nest/Dropcam employees over Fadell’s leadership. Fadell says Marwan Fawaz will take over the ship at Nest. Google bought Nest back in 2014. The company’s first product, the Nest thermostat, was a huge success and was one of the first tech products that seemed like a fully realized idea of what the Internet of things/home automation space could be.
The departure is an unceremonious dip in an otherwise successful career for Fadell, a Silicon Valley executive who was instrumental in the development of Apple Inc.’s iPod, helped design the iPhone, and started Nest in 2010 to modernize home gadgets before selling it to Google.
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Although Nest is one of the marquee companies in the Internet of Things/smarthome space, it has struggled in recent years to keep up with its competitors. The products have encountered more than a few issues since their release. According to numerous reports, a smarthome hub designed by Nest has been delayed time and time again.
