8 ms·

You're not over Google Reader yet?

by dannyr 10y ago

exhilaration 10y ago
Well that and the Nest Smart Home hub they decided to kill off a few weeks ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245
- deelowe 10y ago
  I keep saying this. People keep ignoring me, but it really does matter in this case. This only happened AFTER nest was no longer a Google property. To me the timing seems somewhat suspicious and I believe Nest pushed for more autonomy. They were never really integrated into Google proper. Their stuff runs on their on servers & software stack and their HQ isn't on the Google campus.
  - ceejayoz 10y ago
    > This only happened AFTER nest was no longer a Google property. Huh? Nest is still a Google property.
    - deelowe 10y ago
      Nest is an Alphabet property: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nest_Labs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nest_Labs
      - eli 10y ago
        That seems like an odd distinction. Isn't everything Google owns also owned by Alphabet? Is the consumer supposed to perceive a difference?
        Natanael_L 10y ago
        Google is now a subsidiary to Alphabet. So no.
        on_and_off 10y ago
        Well, it seems that it is going to to make a difference in how Nest is managed. Google has just created a hardware division that will handle most of its efforts in that area : Nexus, Pixel, OnHub, ATAP, Chromecast, consumer hardware, ... they are all going to be integrated in this division instead of being scattered throughout the company. Glass will also become a part of that division (Nest has been handling it since the end of the explorer program). Nest will continue to operate independently.
      - ceejayoz 10y ago
        That makes "This only happened AFTER nest was no longer a Google property" a totally meaningless semantic distinction, then, and leaves me confused as to the point you're trying to make with it. You don't suddenly have "a new boss" when they get married and change their name.
  - kyrra 10y ago
    Nest runs their software on AWS, they call that out here: https://nest.com/security/ https://nest.com/security/
- victorhooi 10y ago
  That story has already been beaten to death....lol. Nest bought out Revolv - and then immediately ceased all sales. They then kept the servers running for another 18 months, before announcing they were going to shut them down. Revolv was an also-ran in the home automation stakes - speculation on my part, but there was probably a reason they got bought out instead of raking in the big bucks. Let's say they sold a few thousand units - do you really think it's worth keeping it running indefinitely? A lot of those people have probably moved on. I don't have hard data to back this up - but I have a growing suspicion most of the people shrilly screaming the loudest on HN don't actually even own a Revolv - the chances of them being one of those few thousand of couple is pretty small.
  - Karunamon 10y ago
    >do you really think it's worth keeping it running indefinitely? At some point, I think it becomes less about "worth" and more about doing the right thing. Is it fair that everyone who bought that device is left holding a worthless chunk of plastic because of the inscrutable whims of various SV tech giants? If not for reams of legalese nobody reads and yet has to agree to in order to even hook the thing up, it would probably already be illegal in some way.
    - SystemOut 10y ago
      Yeah, but normally when companies get bought for small amounts of money it's because they're running out of cash and would probably get shut down anyways. If they were making a profit they'd have been bought for more or they would have raised more cash if their business looked like it might be sustainable.
      - victorhooi 10y ago
        I agree with you - I have no inside knowledge of this, but all the evidence from the time points to not many Revolv units being shipped - I'd be surprised if there were more than several thousand units sold in total, over the lifespan of the company. They'd have no chance of ever recouping their investment, or gaining any kind of critical mass. An acquirhire was probaby a good thing, at that stage - the founders/employees get a new job, and the customer base get an extension on the shutdown, at least for a couple years.

You're not over Google Reader yet?

by dannyr 10y ago

You're not over Google Reader yet?

Well that and the Nest Smart Home hub they decided to kill off a few weeks ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245

deelowe 10y ago
I keep saying this. People keep ignoring me, but it really does matter in this case. This only happened AFTER nest was no longer a Google property. To me the timing seems somewhat suspicious and I believe Nest pushed for more autonomy. They were never really integrated into Google proper. Their stuff runs on their on servers & software stack and their HQ isn't on the Google campus.
- ceejayoz 10y ago
  > This only happened AFTER nest was no longer a Google property. Huh? Nest is still a Google property.
  - deelowe 10y ago
    Nest is an Alphabet property: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nest_Labs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nest_Labs
    - eli 10y ago
      That seems like an odd distinction. Isn't everything Google owns also owned by Alphabet? Is the consumer supposed to perceive a difference?
      - Natanael_L 10y ago
        Google is now a subsidiary to Alphabet. So no.
      - on_and_off 10y ago
        Well, it seems that it is going to to make a difference in how Nest is managed. Google has just created a hardware division that will handle most of its efforts in that area : Nexus, Pixel, OnHub, ATAP, Chromecast, consumer hardware, ... they are all going to be integrated in this division instead of being scattered throughout the company. Glass will also become a part of that division (Nest has been handling it since the end of the explorer program). Nest will continue to operate independently.
    - ceejayoz 10y ago
      That makes "This only happened AFTER nest was no longer a Google property" a totally meaningless semantic distinction, then, and leaves me confused as to the point you're trying to make with it. You don't suddenly have "a new boss" when they get married and change their name.
- kyrra 10y ago
  Nest runs their software on AWS, they call that out here: https://nest.com/security/ https://nest.com/security/
victorhooi 10y ago
That story has already been beaten to death....lol. Nest bought out Revolv - and then immediately ceased all sales. They then kept the servers running for another 18 months, before announcing they were going to shut them down. Revolv was an also-ran in the home automation stakes - speculation on my part, but there was probably a reason they got bought out instead of raking in the big bucks. Let's say they sold a few thousand units - do you really think it's worth keeping it running indefinitely? A lot of those people have probably moved on. I don't have hard data to back this up - but I have a growing suspicion most of the people shrilly screaming the loudest on HN don't actually even own a Revolv - the chances of them being one of those few thousand of couple is pretty small.
- Karunamon 10y ago
  >do you really think it's worth keeping it running indefinitely? At some point, I think it becomes less about "worth" and more about doing the right thing. Is it fair that everyone who bought that device is left holding a worthless chunk of plastic because of the inscrutable whims of various SV tech giants? If not for reams of legalese nobody reads and yet has to agree to in order to even hook the thing up, it would probably already be illegal in some way.
  - SystemOut 10y ago
    Yeah, but normally when companies get bought for small amounts of money it's because they're running out of cash and would probably get shut down anyways. If they were making a profit they'd have been bought for more or they would have raised more cash if their business looked like it might be sustainable.
    - victorhooi 10y ago
      I agree with you - I have no inside knowledge of this, but all the evidence from the time points to not many Revolv units being shipped - I'd be surprised if there were more than several thousand units sold in total, over the lifespan of the company. They'd have no chance of ever recouping their investment, or gaining any kind of critical mass. An acquirhire was probaby a good thing, at that stage - the founders/employees get a new job, and the customer base get an extension on the shutdown, at least for a couple years.