22 ms·

Google to Acquire Nest

684 points by coloneltcb 13y ago

cocoflunchy 13y ago
$3.2 billion?
- samsnelling 13y ago
  Yep. Think of it as 3.2 instagrams.
  - bandris 13y ago
    Or 2 youtubes.
tghw 13y ago
Given Google's history with acquisitions, as a Nest owner, I'm not thrilled to hear this. Hopefully they let it run as independently as possible.
- VLM 13y ago
  Google always shuts stuff down. Which is just a big laugh when its an internet application, but not so funny when its your thermostat. Anyone know what happens when GOOG shuts off the Nest system? Hopefully the thermostat reverts to at least a simple dumb mode rather than shutting everything off?
  - lowlevel 13y ago
    Disconnect it from your network before they 'update' it.
  - smackfu 13y ago
    >While the Nest Thermostat doesn't require a Wi-Fi connection, additional features like remote control and automatic software updates are only available when the Nest Thermostat connects to the Internet
    - venomsnake 13y ago
      Is that a joke? Firmware update on a Thermostat?
      - smackfu 13y ago
        Um, have you seen the thermostat in question? It has a user interface on it. Why wouldn't it support software updates?
  - cloudwalking 13y ago
    I doubt Google would shut down a $3,200,000,000.00 acquisition.
    - sliverstorm 13y ago
      Please don't include decimals on that kind of number, it's intellectually dishonest.
      - baddox 13y ago
        That's a 12 digit acquisition!
      - Karunamon 13y ago
        ? Only if you're incapable of telling the difference between commas and periods, I suppose.
        sliverstorm 13y ago
        It isn't factually dishonest, because it is an accurate number, and anyone can make sense of it. I say it is intellectually dishonest because it reads to me as a clear attempt to make the number appear more impressive. Borrowing from Wikipedia, "intellectual honesty": Facts are presented in an unbiased manner, and not twisted to give misleading impressions It would still be accurate to say it was a $3,200,000,000.000,000,000,000 valuation, but I hope you will agree this is misrepresenting information.
        Karunamon 13y ago
        Eh, guess we're going to agree to disagree there. Dollar figures having two decimal places at the end is pretty much a standard. If they included 3, yeah, that would reek of shiftiness. On top of that, all of the press releases I see don't even include the full amount written out, just "$3.2B".
        beaner 13y ago
        Nobody puts commas in the decimal places.
  - rtkwe 13y ago
    Should be pretty easy to keep a large amount of the functionality online, the one thing that definitely wouldn't work is remote access through nest.com. Just controlling the HVAC system doesn't _require_ any web access, easy test to see what the impact of a hard shutdown by Google is to just disconnect your wireless router from the Internet.
- tadfisher 13y ago
  On the other hand, Android, Inc. was an acquisition with a similar purpose–to break into a new product space–and it grew into a fully-supported division. I don't think Google will treat this as an acquihire situation.
  - beaner 13y ago
    They will have them make the robots produced by the other 7 companies they just bought look pretty and operate simply. At least, that's my hope. Nest team + hardcore robotics teams = potentially awesome stuff.
  - foobarian 13y ago
    I wonder what their play is. One neat thing about Nest is that they are doing what many products failed to do before, and that's to kind of become a platform for the "internet of things." It's a thermostat and smoke detector now, but it could easily soon become more stuff, sensors and actuators, and it could easily all work together toward enabling a smarter home. Yes if you are a hardware/microcontroller geek you can get the same functionality for $100 but you will spend 100 hours on it and it will look vastly inferior to the Nest designs. It is also amazing how much more successful it could be than the million crappy little X10 and zigbee gadgets with their 1960s UX. Another amazing thing to me is how well and how fast they managed to build prominent industry relationships: you can get rebates from the electric company, they are on Home Depot and Lowes shelves, advertised on NPR, etc.
    - lovemenot 13y ago
      Perhaps we'll see a return of Google Power Meter. That was an ambitious project to promote a data standard, towards the goal of better efficiency through consumers' close monitoring of their own power usage. But it failed to gain traction in the industry and Google did not double down. Until now. It seems they may now think that it is better to make transparent decisions automatically rather than by providing information for the consumer to take action on themselves. Power consumption is a large opportunity and one that Google understands from its data centre operations. Certainly it is hard to justify the cost of Nest on its current portfolio and acqui-hire alone.
- simonk 13y ago
  This is more YouTube pricing so I don't see a problem with them keeping this running.
  - avree 13y ago
    Can't wait to need a Google+ account to change the temperature in my house.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
angersock 13y ago
"We've noticed that you're currently freezing your toes off...would you like to search instead for 'HVAC'?" Fucking creepy.
- sixothree 13y ago
  I find this creepy as well. The fact I was considering purchasing one gives me an ill feeling now.
jffry 13y ago
Coming soon: audio ads, broadcast throughout your home via your Nest Protect. Since it knows if you're moving, it can wait and play the ad when it knows you're there, allowing Google to charge a higher cost per impression.
- smackfu 13y ago
  Sounds silly, but people pay Tivo a subscription fee every month and they pack that thing full of ads.
  - Karunamon 13y ago
    The only ads on Tivo that I can remember is a single line item on the home screen, and this was almost always for some VOD service. There was also the thumb integration (you could thumbs-up some ads from either live tv or your recordings, which would pull up a new page with info about whatever was being advertised, occasionally a video), but this is about as unintrusive as it gets (a small icon on the top right whenever a compatible ad is played). Has this changed in the newer revs? I'm honestly curious.
    - smackfu 13y ago
      Yep. Here's the ad sales page which goes through all the various options, including showing ads on the pause screen and including ads when you delete a show and in the menu that lists your episodes of a show. It's gross. http://www.tivo.com/tivoadvertising/ http://www.tivo.com/tivoadvertising/ (Your ad blocker may stop that page from working properly.)
      - Karunamon 13y ago
        Auugh.. thanks for the heads up. I can cross a new Tivo off the list of things I want, then. Part of the reason I bought that device was to skip ads...
  - uptown 13y ago
    I've had TiVos for as long as I can remember (> 10 years). I've always bought the lifetime subscriptions - beating the monthly fee many times over, and the ads are extremely minimal and unobtrusive. As far as DVRs go - I'm still convinced they're the best I've seen.
minimax 13y ago
"Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to buy Nest Labs, Inc. for $3.2 billion in cash." Can that be right? $3.2 billion? That's a crazy huge sum.
- ActVen 13y ago
  They have paying customers. It matters.
  - dangrossman 13y ago
    Nest has customers who have paid it, it does not have paying customers. There is no ongoing fee despite every device Nest sells being connected to its servers 24/7/365. It takes no more than ~3 seconds for any changes you make on their web/mobile apps to reach the thermostat, so it has to be at least checking in with a server constantly.
    - VLM 13y ago
      Those servers could be paid for with some simple advertisements keyed to the information reported by the thermostat...
    - DominikR 13y ago
      I don't think that a 24/7 network connection of a customer that just paid $249 for a thermostat is that much of an monetization issue for a company like Google. (for comparison: more than 1 billion Android devices are currently connected to their servers 24/7/365)
      - JshWright 13y ago
        Not a lot of screen real estate for ads on a Nest...
        nacs 13y ago
        Well in addition to the color LCD, they do have speakers so Google could do audio ads. Also, Google+ checkins when you walk into your house and G+ status updates when you adjust your temperature would increase the G+ 'active user' count for them.
uptown 13y ago
Smart buy in my opinion. The connected home has enormous untapped growth potential, and they just acquired a company that managed to take something as mundane as a thermostat and make it cool.
- robg 13y ago
  At least there's a cost savings angle to an intelligent thermostat. The connected smoke alarm as a cool object really amazed me - it's where new business models are made.
  - smackfu 13y ago
    Exactly. Walk the aisles at your local home improvement store. Find every product that you interact with that is under $20. You can probably make that amazing for $50-100. And what's that in terms of how much people spend on houses?
    - robg 13y ago
      It would be a fun list. Humidifiers have always annoyed me.
smackfu 13y ago
Well, that should resolve their patent issues.
- callmeed 13y ago
  Elaborate?
  - smackfu 13y ago
    Honeywell sued them. Google must have enough defensive patents to use against Honeywell to make them go away. Terrible, of course, but that's the way the world works.
- throwwit 13y ago
  That had to have been a big headache for them: http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/12/2942861/nest-answers-patent-lawsuit-honeywell-troll http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/12/2942861/nest-answers-paten...
bradly 13y ago
Seriously not trying to troll, but could someone help explain where Google might see 3.2 billion dollars of value in a company that pretty much just sells a successful thermostat?
- bdcravens 13y ago
  Nest knows if you're hot. If you're cold. When you've set it to turn off because you're at work. It knows if you're energy conscious or cost sensitive. Etc. There's a ton of behavior in there, making it far more than a thermostat you buy at Home Depot.
- lotso 13y ago
  connected devices
  - mikegreen 13y ago
    Do they have anything else other than the thermostat and smoke detector?
    - amaks 13y ago
      I'm pretty sure they do, in development. But even if they don't, it's a growing huge market.
    - VLM 13y ago
      They monitor for presence. Combine the phone's attempt at geolocation with motion detectors or whatever to make even finer grained geolocation. So if your phone geolocates to the frozen north, and the thermostat indicates the furnace is working extra hard, expect to see warm vacation destination ads in your desktop web browser at work, or something like that.
      - corresation 13y ago
        Do you think Google doesn't already know who is in the "frozen North"? How could knowing how long your furnace runs add any value, at all, for you as an advertising target, if we must always go with that utterly simplistic analysis? Further people keep repeatedly claiming that the Nest device has some sort of presence detection. To my knowledge it has no such thing -- it simply allows you to program it by daily overrides instead of actively turning it on or off. Though of course many people eventually just end up setting it to a static temperature. There is no amazing in-house intelligence gathering platform here.
MrZongle2 13y ago
Am I the only one who thought "well, good for the Nest guys" followed by "too bad, it looked like a good product"?
- ams6110 13y ago
  I agree with "good for the Nest guys" but not "looked like a good product" and I don't mean that in a bad way, it may be a very well executed product but I cannot by any stretch of the imagination think why I would want my thermostat or smoke detector to be anything but stand-alone, dumb devices that do the one thing they were designed to do, and do it faultlessly.
- vasilipupkin 13y ago
  yeah, the last thing I need is my Nest thermostat and my Nest smoke alarm sending data about my house to Google / NSA
  - matmann2001 13y ago
    Great. Now I'll have to listen to an ad before my fire alarm goes off.
  - ericcumbee 13y ago
    from http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/13/google-just-bought-connected-device-company-nest-for-3-2b-in-cash/ http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/13/google-just-bought-connecte... Will Nest customer data be shared with Google? Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services. We’ve always taken privacy seriously and this will not change. ----- is it just me or is that a non denial?
    - MrZongle2 13y ago
      It just means that the privacy policy will be revised.
      - ericcumbee 13y ago
jmduke 13y ago
The cynic in me shudders at the possibility of Google adding even more real-world data like temperature preference and lifestyle factors to their massive data portfolio. The idealist in me is incredibly excited at the possibility of Nest's fundamental strengths being bolstered by Google's coffers.
- Karunamon 13y ago
  Am I the only one that doesn't get chills up their spine whenever Google breaks into some new market? I see very little possible misuse of temperature preference (of all things...) and very great possible gains. The more intimately a service knows you, the more personalized and relevant data it can bring. And another thing, I am really sick and tired of tempering or being told to temper my enthusiasm for some new technology or some novel use of existing technology just because it might be misused. Just about every technology that's wide-reaching enough has abuse potential. That is not an excuse for ludditism! Deal with the abuse instead of hamstringing the tech.
  - tilsammans 13y ago
    > I see very little possible misuse of temperature preference Imagine that the season is changing where you live. You could be expected to start shopping for warm clothes. Google can easily show you ads for pricier warm clothes, and move organic results to page 2. Or Google knows you boiler broke down. And shows ads of pricier service companies instead of the lower-priced local fixer who is now on page 4. The immediate harm is that pricier alternatives are pushed to you, and you don't even know that cheaper alternatives exist, because Google controls your entire world.
    - Karunamon 13y ago
      First, somehow I don't think Google is going to do this. This is a company that keeps a multimillion dollar liability on their front page (the "I'm feeling lucky" button) out of culture and deference to tradition. Secondly, what you suggest really isn't even misuse.
  - 13y ago
mikegreen 13y ago
$3.2b makes me think there has to be some awesome technology that they own or pipeline, as I can't get excited about the thermostat. It is a great idea, and played with one a bit, but it isn't solving any large HVAC issues - the thermostat is simply an on/off switch for the real working hardware in your basement/outside. So, what else do they do that makes Google want to pay $3+ billion (pinkie to lip) for Nest?
- maxerickson 13y ago
  They have figured out how to do marketable home automation devices and how to navigate getting them certified by UL and the like.
agperson 13y ago
Argh, I was just about to buy some Nest Protects, but I don't want Google sensors built into my house.
- mikeg8 13y ago
  Agree. sometimes it feels there is no escaping google's watch
tsenkov 13y ago
Was there anything similar (as an amount of cash in the deal) in the last 10 years? Probably Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's phone division? Is there a list somewhere, that would be interesting to see.
oscargrouch 13y ago
a sign that google is horny for the "internet of things" :)
FiddlerClamp 13y ago
I'm relieved that Apple didn't buy them. In that case, they'd have certainly either a) discontinued the Android version, or b) created a cross-platform app like iTunes.
pinaceae 13y ago
well, stick in a fork in Nest then. wonder how bad their financials were when they're already selling. fucking SnapChat refused a FB offer, but Nest just rolls over and dies.
- clarky07 13y ago
  What you meant to say was that nest isn't run by idiots that are stupid enough to turn down a 3 billion dollar offer.
  - pinaceae 13y ago
    well, but for a moment it seemed that fadell really wanted to build something great and lasting, building his own vision. turns out it's just another boring let's get rich story.
badman_ting 13y ago
Google offers you 3 billi, you take it. That's what I always say.
- evanmoran 13y ago
  You wouldn't take 3 billion from someone else?=)
bluthru 13y ago
Ugh, our industry needs more owners, not less.
molecule 13y ago
Coming Soon: Google+ Integration w/ Your Nest Thermostat
- badclient 13y ago
  No heat for you if you don't upload a profile pic. That will drive up engagement I bet.
  - sliverstorm 13y ago
    I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. Only users who use their real name on G+ are allowed to change the temperature
badclient 13y ago
Someone at google is thinking of ways to use Google Plus to fuck up Nest.
- VLM 13y ago
  Do you use more or less energy than your friends in your circles? Gamification? For a couple decades demand shedding devices have been offered for A/C and electric water heaters where you get a microscopic credit to your bill and the electric co can use a stereotypically totally rube goldberg contraption (remember, these systems have been around for decades) to remotely shed some peak load for a couple hours at a time. I could see something like $5 credit on google play or free google music streaming if you sign up for a load shedding program that uses the nest. And occasionally your thermostat drops by 5 degrees for a couple hours even when it "shouldn't".
- caprad 13y ago
  Has google hired a lot of MBA's recently, because it look an awful lot like they are trying to cross-pollinate their main business lines, to improve vertical integration and uptake.
  - iamjustin 13y ago
    It sure does. Hopefully they can find a way to optimize the backwards overflow which is sure accompany these changes.
deeviant 13y ago
So perhaps being able to dissect nearly every aspect of a users online life is not enough for Google, now they want to offer a range of devices that can start recording the minucia of everyday home life.
lowlevel 13y ago
I have a feeling I'll be ripping the Nest off of my wall in no time.
nodata 13y ago
Oh come on this has to stop. How much would it have cost Google to build Nest from scratch? Not 3.2 billion dollars.
- angersock 13y ago
  It's not the tech, it's the install/customer base.
  - pgrote 13y ago
    How large is the installed base? It appears to be small for smart thermostats and even smaller for Nest. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/11/02/2877211/smart-thermostats-poised-major-market-growth/ http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/11/02/2877211/smart-th...
  - sandis 13y ago
    Would it really take $3.2b to engineer a product similar to Nest and market it to an even wider audience? I'm happy for Nest guys, but the number is a bit ridiculous.
  - kmfrk 13y ago
    You also get Tony Fadell, which is pretty damn huge. It’s almost like acquiring a Forstall company.
  - 9999 13y ago
    I would have been a Nest customer, now I won't be. Oh well.
- k-mcgrady 13y ago
  The team has to count for something here. It's not just a few geeks who built an app. It's guys with lots of experience building incredibly successful products. Google doesn't have a lot of experience in hardware design. Nest do.
  - epaladin 13y ago
toddmorey 13y ago
Please, please Google... don't spam me about starting a Google+ account when I'm just trying to turn the temp down a few degrees. I beg you.
- patrickaljord 13y ago
  And I beg all HN users to stop doing Google+ jokes as they're just as unfunny as they're unoriginal.
  - ilyanep 13y ago
    I'm not convinced they're as much jokes as real concerns by people who have already been burned by this (see: YouTube -- I'm not going to argue about whether or not G+ integration has made these products better, but it's not unreasonable to not want your real-name associated with comments you made under a pseudonym, and to be so annoyingly pestered to do so!)
    - aniket_ray 13y ago
      Google+ is Google's social layer. Commenting is an inherently social activity and it makes sense to have a common layer i.e. G+ here to handle them. Changing the temperature is not a social activity. So no the jokes are not real concerns and are mostly silly intellectually lazy exaggerations.
      - taybin 13y ago
        God forbid
k-mcgrady 13y ago
Very surprised Apple didn't purchase this. Headed by Tony Fadell, brilliant design, I thought it would fit and be a nice diversification for them. However it will be very interesting to see what Google does with this. If I put away the cynic in me for a moment: the more data Google has on me the better their services are for me. I could imagine the Nest thermostat integrating with Google Now and the location data Google has on me for example to better now my comings and going.
- Karunamon 13y ago
  ^^^^^^^^ So much of this. What I see happening is integration with Now - the system already knows when I leave work and when I leave home, and how long my commute is probably going to be. Instead of a dumb timer, it can adjust the controls based on that information.
- smackfu 13y ago
  I doubt Tony Fadell wants Jony Ive to tell him what to do.
- jarjoura 13y ago
  Google Ventures backed much of the company. So I doubt the VCs would let Apple make a lowball bid for the company (typical of Apple acquisitions). Plus Apple is never known to leave a company running, instead fully integrating it and all of the employees into some already functioning group (think iWatch).
- foobarian 13y ago
  I would've been surprised if Apple had bought them. They strike me as a highly NIH outfit.
- crucifiction 13y ago
  Perhaps Google bought them because Apple did try to make a bid. Hence the inflated price...
  - easyfrag 13y ago
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
figital 13y ago
There's been a product on the market for several years called "TED" ... something seemed fishy when Google killed the data monitoring service ... http://www.google.com/powermeter/ http://www.google.com/powermeter/. Still ... you have the power (so to speak) to meter your own appliances. Yes you. Mine is still in the box :(.
sdoowpilihp 13y ago
This will give Google access to a very idiosyncratic data set no other major tech company has. It will be interesting to watch how they influence the product line over the coming years, as well as what they do in terms of integration with other google services.
mmuro 13y ago
Bummer.
matmann2001 13y ago
Great. Now I'll have to listen to an ad before my fire alarm goes off.
jmuguy 13y ago
Hmm, I wonder if this will make a security system (like canary http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/canary-the-first-smart-home-security-device-for-everyone http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/canary-the-first-smart-hom...) more or less likely. I assumed that would be the next product from Nest.
jusben1369 13y ago
I think folks are too focused here on Google caring about the temperature in your house. I suspect Nest's hw/sw/design chops will come in very handy when putting together say the experience of a self driving car?
vikas5678 13y ago
With all the data google already has on me, as a new homeowner, I think I'm terrified of buying this product. What kind of profile would this allow Google to build on individuals?
ThomPete 13y ago
For once I can understand the pricing and think its in fact cheap. 1) Nest has a realistic potential to be in "every" home if not the actual hardware then the underlying intelligence. 2) Nest has a business model that works. People are paing for it and they love it. 3) Combining Google data with Nest access points I can only imagine the awesome things they can come up with and improve. Perhaps the first glimpse at an intelligent grid system. 4) 3.2 is a steal and given that its cash its a good sale.
- notacoward 13y ago
  The only way Nest will have on in every home is by aggressively enforcing bogus patents against everyone who makes anything even remotely similar. We should cheer for that?
  - ThomPete 13y ago
    I think you are missing the bigger picture here. It's not about the thermostat its about the ecosystem its part of. And I did write "every" :)
- schwap 13y ago
  > Nest has a realistic potential to be in "every" home if not the actual hardware then the underlying intelligence. I really don't think so. Many homes haven't even upgraded to a $20 programmable thermostat, let alone a $200 nest.
nostromo 13y ago
I'm happy for Nest but sad for myself, given the smoke detector was my Christmas gift last year. Previously I would look to YouTube as an acquisition done right. But after the kerfuffle around G+ integration, I no longer feel that way. If I have to sign in with my G+ account to manage my smoke alarm, it's going directly into the rubbish bin. If Apple had bought Nest, on the other hand, I'd feel very differently.
- the_watcher 13y ago
  I'd still look at YouTube as an acquisition done right. How long has it taken for Google to introduce something that you don't love re: YouTube? At this point, all Google decisions related to YouTube have to be considered independent of the acquisition.
  - venomsnake 13y ago
    Well content ID is one thing that was unneeded and harmful. Also this video is not available in your country. So not that long. Circa 2007 maybe?
    - the_watcher 13y ago
      I was mainly referring to the commenter who said the G+ issues being his first problem with the YouTube acquisition. If that was your first major issue, I'd call the acquisition a success. Also, how much of content ID was YouTube covering it's bases legally with the DCMA? I guess, are there easier ways they could have been compliant while being less irritating to users like yourself? I honestly don't know.
- daughart 13y ago
  You don't want your G+ friends automatically notified when you burn dinner? Or will it be targeted ads for delivery pizza?
  - brudgers 13y ago
    If you decide to go out to eat, your self-driving car will take you to TacoBell. Only TacoBell.
callmeed 13y ago
FYI Google Ventures participated in 2 of Nest's funding rounds, including leading their series C last year. I can't say exactly if/how this affects the acquisition but it does feel like some of the money is just traveling in a circle.
dengar007 13y ago
Now you can +1 your temperature!
- mikeg8 13y ago
  oh jesus
ChuckMcM 13y ago
It's awesome for the folks at Nest, but the first thought through my head was this : I am so starting a smart lawn sprinkler controller company!
- interpol_p 13y ago
  Oh please do. Irrigation systems have the clunkiest, most error prone interfaces I have ever used.
- phireph0x 13y ago
  I had the same thought, as that seems to be an overlooked market. After some research, I found a few: check out Greenbox http://www.greenboxhq.com http://www.greenboxhq.com and Lono http://lonoapp.com http://lonoapp.com for a couple of smart sprinkler startups.
mikeg8 13y ago
"To change the temperature of your master bedroom, please create a google+ account."
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
andyman1080 13y ago
Is it known how much equity Faddell had? Is he a billionaire now?
protomyth 13y ago
I was hoping Honeywell would buy them an experience a bit (at the division level) of a NeXT-Apple replay. I really am not sure about buying one given the implications of the data from this device being given to advertisers or used in advertising analytics.
ck2 13y ago
Do they own patents or something? Because with a $10 android chip, any Chinese plant could churn out Nest clones in a few months.
- smackfu 13y ago
  The tricky part is getting it on the shelves at Home Depot or Lowes. Nest threw a lot of money at Home Depot, if the dedicated end caps I've seen for the last couple of years are any indication.
  - tanzam75 13y ago
    Home Depot and Lowes both sell private-label home automation products. They could buy the equipment from the Chinese and slap their own brands on it.
dpeck 13y ago
Woohoo, I look forward to it disheartening into Mountain View and only being used to control the HVAC at HQ and be shown off to board members on their quarterly tours.
andrewhillman 13y ago
Wow. This weekend I was talking about Nest with my dad and I said Google will end up buying them. Interesting to see that it's an all cash transaction. I guess all cash makes the deal cheaper for Google.
jd007 13y ago
what a great way to force g+ on users even more. "too cold and want to increase your temperature? add 3 friends to your circles!"
ehfeng 13y ago
Google should have negotiated for a $3.141 billion price.
- YokoZar 13y ago
  The 60 million dollar joke.
spiderPig 13y ago
Nice acquisition, but $3.2 bn?? Really? Just unbelievable.
belgianguy 13y ago
smart phone > smart car > smart house > ... ? ... > smart human I for one see great areas of improvement and possibilities inside the common house. Not that I'd wire up every appliance with a Wi-Fi sensor, but some data can be useful, if only for safety (falling asleep with the oven on: here a sensor could cut the power at a certain condition, or trigger the fire alarm, or ring up the firefighters). Or you left the house and realise you left some of the lights on, just tell the in-car console to open the domotics app, and tell it to shut the lights off. And the smart fridge, if RFIDs or its successor ever become cheap enough to be able to be printed on a milk carton, you could have your fridge's contents with you wherever you go, just open the app, look what's about to go off, or have it remind you to get extra supplies when you're near a point of interest. If they'll let me I'll hook up a Nagios server to my coffee machine.
- MartinCron 13y ago
  I know this makes me sound like a terrible luddite or hipster or both, but I've been thinking about all of these smart devices and services and how they may have a somewhat infantalizing impact on people. I recently met with some people behind a startup built entirely around generating meal plans for you. I understand that it's a useful service (for some types of people). But I worry about the implication that we are now a species that can't even figure out what to eat for ourselves.
  - vdaniuk 13y ago
    Please educate yourself on choice paralysis and its implications, learn about the fundamental reasons (cognitive capacity, cognitive bias, etc) and only then worry about our wonderful, adapting, intelligent species.
    - MartinCron 13y ago
      I know you're trying to be helpful, but "please educate yourself" is almost never a constructive or helpful phrase. We can do better than that here.
lauradhamilton 13y ago
As a Nest owner this creeps me out. Google should NOT have always-on sensors of any type.
pessimizer 13y ago
I don't know a lot about Nest, but I understand that requests to the thermostat are made from the phone app indirectly through a central server? What possible consumer benefit could that indirection have? edit: The reason I ask is that I'm trying to figure out why an exact copy of Nest except that it didn't leak data and didn't require other people's servers to work wouldn't eat Nest's lunch.
- smackfu 13y ago
  Main advantage is that you can control it from outside the home, which is a selling point of the Nest. That's actually the main point of the app, since the device itself also has a UI that's probably easier to use if you just want to adjust the temperature.
- ceejayoz 13y ago
  I used that indirection to turn the heat up for my cat while on vacation, knowing that a big ice storm was coming. Couldn't do that if it only worked on the LAN.
  - mdda 13y ago
    Actually puzzled : Why would the cat need it warmer indoors if there's an ice storm? Isn't keeping it at the same temperature enough? Or is the problem because the heating switches off overnight, so you feel that it needs a boost during the day to compensate? Isn't that something that a smart thermostat should cope with?
    - ceejayoz 13y ago
      Boosting it means if the power goes out for a few hours and the temperature drops 20 degrees in the house it goes from 70 to 50, not 50 to 30. Protects the pipes, too.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
- sixothree 13y ago
  I don't think you can improve a google product without sharing more data.
mesozoic 13y ago
The real winners are DST Global and the others who bought round D and got what looks like a 50% return on $150 million in about 2 weeks.
baweaver 13y ago
So will I need to sign into my house with a Google+ account now?
baweaver 13y ago
So will I need to sign into my house with a Google+ account now?
14th 13y ago
... I'm glad I haven't bought one yet. Now I need to figure out how to build an open source one.
suprgeek 13y ago
$3.2 BILLION All-Cash offer. Is that Color-level valuation for a Thermostat company? Or more like Instagram-level... Holy Moly!
- cududa 13y ago
  Nest has great hardware designers (which Google lacks) and engineers. Nest first built a hardware/ software platform that enables them to in the future build other smart appliances and home automation tools. The thermostat was simply the first product.
aaronpeck 13y ago
Remember Sparrow?
- everydaypanos 13y ago
  sure
baweaver 13y ago
So YouTube didn't work as a G+ promoter, so now we'll have to log into our houses with it. Well played Google, well played.
pirateking 13y ago
I look forward to well designed Nest competitors that support connections and logging to user specified endpoints.
achy 13y ago
This might be a minority opinion, but I think more than home data collection (which they probably have a lot of already from phone / computer usage), that this is about acquiring a company that has cache and a 'cool' factor within both the design world and more importantly the market sector of young tech inclined home owners - a hugely lucrative market.
hoopism 13y ago
The Nest UI (web and mobile) is laughable horrible. Only has about 2 weeks historical data. Doesn't record what means a temp was adjusted (web? Phone? Nest?). Doesn't do any sort of trending long term or historical analysis. Charts overlay clicking points so you can see some data. Doing my own analysis it ended up using more energy than my manual changes. So I don't even use autoschedule.
callahad 13y ago
Time to add thermostats and smoke detectors to all those blog posts about "de-Googling" your life...
cmos 13y ago
Nest has built an expensive thermostat that is engaging. It certainly doesn't take $80 Million to do that. So perhaps they also spent their money developing a cheaper version after proving that people like it and more importantly proving it can save money and eventually pay for itself. I would spend a ton of money putting everything on one chip, getting the cost down to $5 or $10 for the same user experience. Maybe put in a cheaper display if needed. Now this wireless device in the house can pay itself off in very short amount of time, making it a super easy decision for consumers. The current offerings of thermostats are clunky and have horrible user interfaces that require modes and buttons and such to program.. forget about daylight savings time! If people can buy Nest functionality for $50 then google will have a solid foothold in people's homes. From that they can sell camera's that show up through your google TV device and get into the security market. The dial on Nest is a universal interface, as the original ipod has shown us, perfect for scrolling through menu's and long lists and for changing volume or choosing music. Might as well put a microphone in so people can ask the internet things. Still not quite sure it's worth $3.2Billion.. perhaps there was a bidding war?
jpswade 13y ago
Great. Now there's another Google product that will never hit the UK.
jgalt212 13y ago
oh, no. there's definitely no bubble.
subndes 13y ago
Google now able to collect more data points about your home too!
jyz 13y ago
3.2 billion is an insanely large number. But then when you step back and see Snapchat being offered the similar amount, you kind of feel sorry for Nest for selling.
noonespecial 13y ago
In a not-so-strange way this fits well with their recent robotics acquisitions. It really feels like lightning could strike a second time for google so long as they don't middle manage themselves out of it.
ffrryuu 13y ago
Bailing out the VC already?
throwaway420 13y ago
I wish we lived in a world where Google can be trusted with all of this personal data because they could do lots of interesting things to make lives easier and create more wealth for everybody. But I have every expectation that this data, if not right away, could someday be sent to the criminal gangs that wear suits and ties that are looking for new targets to loot and plunder. Just knowing the temperature in your house, cross-referenced with other data about you as well as electricity bills, could be enough for a future police agency to argue probable cause that you're running a drug growing operation and have them do all kinds of raids and intrusive searches and harassment. This shouldn't be an issue, but Google has earned absolutely zero trust with its obvious non-denials of NSA activity and other negative conduct.
outside1234 13y ago
I'm really surprised. I thought Nest was Tony Fadell's vehicle to make it back into Apple. I am going to sit here with a bemused expression on my face thinking of Tony Fadell at data driven Google. I put it 6 months before he is out of there.
jcampbell1 13y ago
The only possible way this acquisition make sense is that Nest has some truly amazing product in the pipeline. It is impossible to justify 3.2 Billion for a team or thermostats. My guess is they wanted to get acquired because some future product make sense to have Google's brand and go to market ability.
- venomsnake 13y ago
  A friend is currently working for an intrusive home management solution that certain telecoms are to unleash on the unsuspecting Germans. All internet of things stuff, all remote. It will be sold with internet subscription. The root capabilities will be in telco and not the home owner. I am willing to bet a lot that Nest have either something similar or that google wants to spearhead this market and are scrambling with whatever the cost the know how.
jerdavis 13y ago
This doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Besides the fact that Nest is a great product (But so are Triscuits), why would Google buy them? The Nest _does_ know when you are home. If Google starts to use Nest data to target adds at me, I'm going to rip it out, set it on fire, and mail it to Larry.
forgotAgain 13y ago
Google with (new) data sources in my house: hmm.
BIair 13y ago
On the face, appears to be a huge valuation for an overpriced thermostat and smoke alarm. But combined with their recent robotic acquisitions I wonder if this signals a move beyond the smart phone, and smart car, to the smart home? If Google engineers want to build the Star Trek computer, surely they want to build the Jetsons home.
bitwize 13y ago
Oh great. You have set a temperature of 65°F. Share your climate preferences your Google+ circles?
outside1234 13y ago
When do we start getting ads on the Thermostat? Or ads on our browser asking us why we are spending so much time at home?
benwerd 13y ago
Do other large tech companies not realize what Google's up to, are they unable to try to compete, or do they just not care?
pgcosta 13y ago
I understand why this is a good aquisition, but still 3.2B... The valuation was 'only' 2B. That escaleted a lot!
loganu 13y ago
It's not a talent acquisition. It's not a move towards more government monitoring. It's not meant to increase G+ sign-ups or sell ads for more efficient furnaces. It's a play into the growing "connected product" / smart home segment. When you combine google's resources, their current software and hardware products, and the type of products Nest is likely to move on to, you get some strong synergies that Google would be dumb to ignore. A little more discussion on where things could go from here (that doesn't touch on the NSA or government subpoenas) would be really refreshing.
wil421 13y ago
So will they shut it down like they did when bought sparrow or bump? I thought sparrow was great for iOS and OS X. Googles gmail app is not as stable. Lately I've been concerned about google and privacy this make make me change my mind and just buy a competitors version of a "nest". The price is what has been keeping me away.
michalu 13y ago
Yes, now we can have even more relevant ads!!
Luke-Jr 13y ago
Maybe Google will push Nest to comply with the GPL terms? They're currently missing the (required by GPLv2) build/install stuff from their source code releases... I've been unable to get root on mine so far :(
ivv 13y ago
Theoretically, Google could now be remotely adjusting your room temperature to maximize (or minimize) the effectiveness of advertising. [1] [1] http://anzmac.info/conference/2013/bestpapers/anzmac2013-364.pdf http://anzmac.info/conference/2013/bestpapers/anzmac2013-364...
rhythmvs 13y ago
Well, then we should have a better look at http://www.loxone.com/ http://www.loxone.com/ and maybe so keep our actual real-life data out of black box data centers.
Fogest 13y ago
Nest has a post on their blog about this as well if you're interested: https://nest.com/blog/2014/01/13/nest-google-and-you/ https://nest.com/blog/2014/01/13/nest-google-and-you/ I am not sure why people always say Google makes companies suck. This may be the case sometimes, but it is that way for most companies who buy things if they try to make changes. Just look at YouTube. It has become quite successful, despite some poor decisions.
ericcumbee 13y ago
On one hand google having more information is unsettling but at the same time it could lead to some interesting possibilities. In the summer my nest kicks the AC on at about 4:45 assuming that I will get home sometime around 5pm. But say I go afterwork to have a beer or drink coffee and stay out until 8pm. Nest knowing where my phone is means it could be smart enough to not turn my AC on until I am headed home.
Cub3 13y ago
Maybe we'll finally see Android @ Home become a reality http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/24/what-happened-to-android-at-home/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/24/what-happened-to-android-at...
regnum 13y ago
Good thing the Google founders have grown up and don't need adult supervision anymore.
skizm 13y ago
You must now login with your G+ account to turn on your thermostat or smoke detector.
dorfsmay 13y ago
So that means you'll have to have a google plus account, older than 13, and use an interface that use a protocol that replaces snmp but that is propriwtary to google, just to change the twmperature?
HorizonXP 13y ago
All I can say is that KPo is a beast, and he's totally why Google paid such a large sum of money for Nest.
fudgy73 13y ago
$3.2 BILLION?! Was Nest Labs making a profit? Seemed to me like they made cool devices that no one bought.
- dangrossman 13y ago
  They were shipping 50k thermostats a month over a year ago. Combine a heat-up in home automation interest this year with some very fancy endcaps they've placed in Home Depot (the thermostat and smoke detector, with interactive demo videos), they're probably selling much better today.
keithg 13y ago
Finally a tech company with enough good sense to realize that if you get a buyout offer that starts will "b" and ends with "illions", you take the money!
elwell 13y ago
"OK Google, flush the toliet."
WWKong 13y ago
This proves that the market for "better mouse trap" is huge. Look around the house. Pick something. Anything. Create a better version.
granttimmerman 13y ago
Well, I guess that's one reason/excuse why Nest turned me down a summer internship when I applied last November.
sidcool 13y ago
Isn't Google trying to spread too thin? I feel so.
kgarten 13y ago
I guess in future I'll need a google+ account to adjust the temperature in my house ... :)
eyeareque 13y ago
"It smells like you've burned your dinner. Would you like to order Dominos for delivery?" I love my nest. I hope they do good things with the brand. I'll admit.. I am fearful for what they'll do with it.
abhi3188 13y ago
After a look at Google's smart house experiment in London, I think it's safe to say, their next lot of acquisition targets will be home automation companies.
blueskin_ 13y ago
Suddenly I no longer want one. I loved the idea when it was a simple way to save on power bills, but I wouldn't have google spy on me even if I was paid money to use it.
sushirain 13y ago
Google + Nest + Boston Dynamics + Ray Kurzweil = Domestic Robot?
alberth 13y ago
What I still don't understand is why Google Ventures would lead a Series C round just last week and then this week Google Inc acquires them. Why even have the Series C round at all then?
abvdasker 13y ago
I hate to be that guy, but I think if Google's plan really is to tackle tech in the home, it probably isn't going to work out. The attempt to better integrate technology with common household devices and appliances is nothing new [1]. Most of the previous attempts over the last 20 years have have been met with limited success. The biggest obstacle is and has been that most of the utilitarian devices in homes already do their jobs pretty well. They're also inexpensive. What does Nest/Google have to offer that won't be more expensive and will present some life-changing advantage over a conventional stove/thermostat/garage door opener? [1] http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/1489021 http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/1489021
cleaver 13y ago
My thought on the topic, after being shocked at the price, was that Apple must have some home automation products as their next big thing. 3.2B to head off Apple from creating the "iPod of home automation" is still a bargain.

684 points by coloneltcb 13y ago

cocoflunchy 13y ago

$3.2 billion?

samsnelling 13y ago
Yep. Think of it as 3.2 instagrams.
- bandris 13y ago
  Or 2 youtubes.

tghw 13y ago

Given Google's history with acquisitions, as a Nest owner, I'm not thrilled to hear this. Hopefully they let it run as independently as possible.

VLM 13y ago
Google always shuts stuff down. Which is just a big laugh when its an internet application, but not so funny when its your thermostat. Anyone know what happens when GOOG shuts off the Nest system? Hopefully the thermostat reverts to at least a simple dumb mode rather than shutting everything off?
- lowlevel 13y ago
  Disconnect it from your network before they 'update' it.
- smackfu 13y ago
  >While the Nest Thermostat doesn't require a Wi-Fi connection, additional features like remote control and automatic software updates are only available when the Nest Thermostat connects to the Internet
  - venomsnake 13y ago
    Is that a joke? Firmware update on a Thermostat?
    - smackfu 13y ago
      Um, have you seen the thermostat in question? It has a user interface on it. Why wouldn't it support software updates?
- cloudwalking 13y ago
  I doubt Google would shut down a $3,200,000,000.00 acquisition.
  - sliverstorm 13y ago
    Please don't include decimals on that kind of number, it's intellectually dishonest.
    - baddox 13y ago
      That's a 12 digit acquisition!
    - Karunamon 13y ago
      ? Only if you're incapable of telling the difference between commas and periods, I suppose.
      - sliverstorm 13y ago
        It isn't factually dishonest, because it is an accurate number, and anyone can make sense of it. I say it is intellectually dishonest because it reads to me as a clear attempt to make the number appear more impressive. Borrowing from Wikipedia, "intellectual honesty": Facts are presented in an unbiased manner, and not twisted to give misleading impressions It would still be accurate to say it was a $3,200,000,000.000,000,000,000 valuation, but I hope you will agree this is misrepresenting information.
        Karunamon 13y ago
        Eh, guess we're going to agree to disagree there. Dollar figures having two decimal places at the end is pretty much a standard. If they included 3, yeah, that would reek of shiftiness. On top of that, all of the press releases I see don't even include the full amount written out, just "$3.2B".
        beaner 13y ago
        Nobody puts commas in the decimal places.
- rtkwe 13y ago
  Should be pretty easy to keep a large amount of the functionality online, the one thing that definitely wouldn't work is remote access through nest.com. Just controlling the HVAC system doesn't _require_ any web access, easy test to see what the impact of a hard shutdown by Google is to just disconnect your wireless router from the Internet.
tadfisher 13y ago
On the other hand, Android, Inc. was an acquisition with a similar purpose–to break into a new product space–and it grew into a fully-supported division. I don't think Google will treat this as an acquihire situation.
- beaner 13y ago
  They will have them make the robots produced by the other 7 companies they just bought look pretty and operate simply. At least, that's my hope. Nest team + hardcore robotics teams = potentially awesome stuff.
- foobarian 13y ago
  I wonder what their play is. One neat thing about Nest is that they are doing what many products failed to do before, and that's to kind of become a platform for the "internet of things." It's a thermostat and smoke detector now, but it could easily soon become more stuff, sensors and actuators, and it could easily all work together toward enabling a smarter home. Yes if you are a hardware/microcontroller geek you can get the same functionality for $100 but you will spend 100 hours on it and it will look vastly inferior to the Nest designs. It is also amazing how much more successful it could be than the million crappy little X10 and zigbee gadgets with their 1960s UX. Another amazing thing to me is how well and how fast they managed to build prominent industry relationships: you can get rebates from the electric company, they are on Home Depot and Lowes shelves, advertised on NPR, etc.
  - lovemenot 13y ago
    Perhaps we'll see a return of Google Power Meter. That was an ambitious project to promote a data standard, towards the goal of better efficiency through consumers' close monitoring of their own power usage. But it failed to gain traction in the industry and Google did not double down. Until now. It seems they may now think that it is better to make transparent decisions automatically rather than by providing information for the consumer to take action on themselves. Power consumption is a large opportunity and one that Google understands from its data centre operations. Certainly it is hard to justify the cost of Nest on its current portfolio and acqui-hire alone.
simonk 13y ago
This is more YouTube pricing so I don't see a problem with them keeping this running.
- avree 13y ago
  Can't wait to need a Google+ account to change the temperature in my house.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

angersock 13y ago

"We've noticed that you're currently freezing your toes off...would you like to search instead for 'HVAC'?" Fucking creepy.

sixothree 13y ago
I find this creepy as well. The fact I was considering purchasing one gives me an ill feeling now.

jffry 13y ago

Coming soon: audio ads, broadcast throughout your home via your Nest Protect. Since it knows if you're moving, it can wait and play the ad when it knows you're there, allowing Google to charge a higher cost per impression.

smackfu 13y ago
Sounds silly, but people pay Tivo a subscription fee every month and they pack that thing full of ads.
- Karunamon 13y ago
  The only ads on Tivo that I can remember is a single line item on the home screen, and this was almost always for some VOD service. There was also the thumb integration (you could thumbs-up some ads from either live tv or your recordings, which would pull up a new page with info about whatever was being advertised, occasionally a video), but this is about as unintrusive as it gets (a small icon on the top right whenever a compatible ad is played). Has this changed in the newer revs? I'm honestly curious.
  - smackfu 13y ago
    Yep. Here's the ad sales page which goes through all the various options, including showing ads on the pause screen and including ads when you delete a show and in the menu that lists your episodes of a show. It's gross. http://www.tivo.com/tivoadvertising/ http://www.tivo.com/tivoadvertising/ (Your ad blocker may stop that page from working properly.)
    - Karunamon 13y ago
      Auugh.. thanks for the heads up. I can cross a new Tivo off the list of things I want, then. Part of the reason I bought that device was to skip ads...
- uptown 13y ago
  I've had TiVos for as long as I can remember (> 10 years). I've always bought the lifetime subscriptions - beating the monthly fee many times over, and the ads are extremely minimal and unobtrusive. As far as DVRs go - I'm still convinced they're the best I've seen.

minimax 13y ago

"Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to buy Nest Labs, Inc. for $3.2 billion in cash." Can that be right? $3.2 billion? That's a crazy huge sum.

ActVen 13y ago
They have paying customers. It matters.
- dangrossman 13y ago
  Nest has customers who have paid it, it does not have paying customers. There is no ongoing fee despite every device Nest sells being connected to its servers 24/7/365. It takes no more than ~3 seconds for any changes you make on their web/mobile apps to reach the thermostat, so it has to be at least checking in with a server constantly.
  - VLM 13y ago
    Those servers could be paid for with some simple advertisements keyed to the information reported by the thermostat...
  - DominikR 13y ago
    I don't think that a 24/7 network connection of a customer that just paid $249 for a thermostat is that much of an monetization issue for a company like Google. (for comparison: more than 1 billion Android devices are currently connected to their servers 24/7/365)
    - JshWright 13y ago
      Not a lot of screen real estate for ads on a Nest...
      - nacs 13y ago
        Well in addition to the color LCD, they do have speakers so Google could do audio ads. Also, Google+ checkins when you walk into your house and G+ status updates when you adjust your temperature would increase the G+ 'active user' count for them.

uptown 13y ago

Smart buy in my opinion. The connected home has enormous untapped growth potential, and they just acquired a company that managed to take something as mundane as a thermostat and make it cool.

robg 13y ago
At least there's a cost savings angle to an intelligent thermostat. The connected smoke alarm as a cool object really amazed me - it's where new business models are made.
- smackfu 13y ago
  Exactly. Walk the aisles at your local home improvement store. Find every product that you interact with that is under $20. You can probably make that amazing for $50-100. And what's that in terms of how much people spend on houses?
  - robg 13y ago
    It would be a fun list. Humidifiers have always annoyed me.

smackfu 13y ago

Well, that should resolve their patent issues.

callmeed 13y ago
Elaborate?
- smackfu 13y ago
  Honeywell sued them. Google must have enough defensive patents to use against Honeywell to make them go away. Terrible, of course, but that's the way the world works.
throwwit 13y ago
That had to have been a big headache for them: http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/12/2942861/nest-answers-patent-lawsuit-honeywell-troll http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/12/2942861/nest-answers-paten...

bradly 13y ago

Seriously not trying to troll, but could someone help explain where Google might see 3.2 billion dollars of value in a company that pretty much just sells a successful thermostat?

bdcravens 13y ago
Nest knows if you're hot. If you're cold. When you've set it to turn off because you're at work. It knows if you're energy conscious or cost sensitive. Etc. There's a ton of behavior in there, making it far more than a thermostat you buy at Home Depot.
lotso 13y ago
connected devices
- mikegreen 13y ago
  Do they have anything else other than the thermostat and smoke detector?
  - amaks 13y ago
    I'm pretty sure they do, in development. But even if they don't, it's a growing huge market.
  - VLM 13y ago
    They monitor for presence. Combine the phone's attempt at geolocation with motion detectors or whatever to make even finer grained geolocation. So if your phone geolocates to the frozen north, and the thermostat indicates the furnace is working extra hard, expect to see warm vacation destination ads in your desktop web browser at work, or something like that.
    - corresation 13y ago
      Do you think Google doesn't already know who is in the "frozen North"? How could knowing how long your furnace runs add any value, at all, for you as an advertising target, if we must always go with that utterly simplistic analysis? Further people keep repeatedly claiming that the Nest device has some sort of presence detection. To my knowledge it has no such thing -- it simply allows you to program it by daily overrides instead of actively turning it on or off. Though of course many people eventually just end up setting it to a static temperature. There is no amazing in-house intelligence gathering platform here.

MrZongle2 13y ago

Am I the only one who thought "well, good for the Nest guys" followed by "too bad, it looked like a good product"?

ams6110 13y ago
I agree with "good for the Nest guys" but not "looked like a good product" and I don't mean that in a bad way, it may be a very well executed product but I cannot by any stretch of the imagination think why I would want my thermostat or smoke detector to be anything but stand-alone, dumb devices that do the one thing they were designed to do, and do it faultlessly.
vasilipupkin 13y ago
yeah, the last thing I need is my Nest thermostat and my Nest smoke alarm sending data about my house to Google / NSA
- matmann2001 13y ago
  Great. Now I'll have to listen to an ad before my fire alarm goes off.
- ericcumbee 13y ago
  from http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/13/google-just-bought-connected-device-company-nest-for-3-2b-in-cash/ http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/13/google-just-bought-connecte... Will Nest customer data be shared with Google? Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services. We’ve always taken privacy seriously and this will not change. ----- is it just me or is that a non denial?
  - MrZongle2 13y ago
    It just means that the privacy policy will be revised.
    - ericcumbee 13y ago

jmduke 13y ago

The cynic in me shudders at the possibility of Google adding even more real-world data like temperature preference and lifestyle factors to their massive data portfolio. The idealist in me is incredibly excited at the possibility of Nest's fundamental strengths being bolstered by Google's coffers.

Karunamon 13y ago
Am I the only one that doesn't get chills up their spine whenever Google breaks into some new market? I see very little possible misuse of temperature preference (of all things...) and very great possible gains. The more intimately a service knows you, the more personalized and relevant data it can bring. And another thing, I am really sick and tired of tempering or being told to temper my enthusiasm for some new technology or some novel use of existing technology just because it might be misused. Just about every technology that's wide-reaching enough has abuse potential. That is not an excuse for ludditism! Deal with the abuse instead of hamstringing the tech.
- tilsammans 13y ago
  > I see very little possible misuse of temperature preference Imagine that the season is changing where you live. You could be expected to start shopping for warm clothes. Google can easily show you ads for pricier warm clothes, and move organic results to page 2. Or Google knows you boiler broke down. And shows ads of pricier service companies instead of the lower-priced local fixer who is now on page 4. The immediate harm is that pricier alternatives are pushed to you, and you don't even know that cheaper alternatives exist, because Google controls your entire world.
  - Karunamon 13y ago
    First, somehow I don't think Google is going to do this. This is a company that keeps a multimillion dollar liability on their front page (the "I'm feeling lucky" button) out of culture and deference to tradition. Secondly, what you suggest really isn't even misuse.
- 13y ago

mikegreen 13y ago

$3.2b makes me think there has to be some awesome technology that they own or pipeline, as I can't get excited about the thermostat. It is a great idea, and played with one a bit, but it isn't solving any large HVAC issues - the thermostat is simply an on/off switch for the real working hardware in your basement/outside. So, what else do they do that makes Google want to pay $3+ billion (pinkie to lip) for Nest?

maxerickson 13y ago
They have figured out how to do marketable home automation devices and how to navigate getting them certified by UL and the like.

agperson 13y ago

Argh, I was just about to buy some Nest Protects, but I don't want Google sensors built into my house.

mikeg8 13y ago
Agree. sometimes it feels there is no escaping google's watch

tsenkov 13y ago

Was there anything similar (as an amount of cash in the deal) in the last 10 years? Probably Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's phone division? Is there a list somewhere, that would be interesting to see.

oscargrouch 13y ago

a sign that google is horny for the "internet of things" :)

FiddlerClamp 13y ago

I'm relieved that Apple didn't buy them. In that case, they'd have certainly either a) discontinued the Android version, or b) created a cross-platform app like iTunes.

pinaceae 13y ago

well, stick in a fork in Nest then. wonder how bad their financials were when they're already selling. fucking SnapChat refused a FB offer, but Nest just rolls over and dies.

clarky07 13y ago
What you meant to say was that nest isn't run by idiots that are stupid enough to turn down a 3 billion dollar offer.
- pinaceae 13y ago
  well, but for a moment it seemed that fadell really wanted to build something great and lasting, building his own vision. turns out it's just another boring let's get rich story.

badman_ting 13y ago

Google offers you 3 billi, you take it. That's what I always say.

evanmoran 13y ago
You wouldn't take 3 billion from someone else?=)

bluthru 13y ago

Ugh, our industry needs more owners, not less.

molecule 13y ago

Coming Soon: Google+ Integration w/ Your Nest Thermostat

badclient 13y ago
No heat for you if you don't upload a profile pic. That will drive up engagement I bet.
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. Only users who use their real name on G+ are allowed to change the temperature

badclient 13y ago

Someone at google is thinking of ways to use Google Plus to fuck up Nest.

VLM 13y ago
Do you use more or less energy than your friends in your circles? Gamification? For a couple decades demand shedding devices have been offered for A/C and electric water heaters where you get a microscopic credit to your bill and the electric co can use a stereotypically totally rube goldberg contraption (remember, these systems have been around for decades) to remotely shed some peak load for a couple hours at a time. I could see something like $5 credit on google play or free google music streaming if you sign up for a load shedding program that uses the nest. And occasionally your thermostat drops by 5 degrees for a couple hours even when it "shouldn't".
caprad 13y ago
Has google hired a lot of MBA's recently, because it look an awful lot like they are trying to cross-pollinate their main business lines, to improve vertical integration and uptake.
- iamjustin 13y ago
  It sure does. Hopefully they can find a way to optimize the backwards overflow which is sure accompany these changes.

deeviant 13y ago

So perhaps being able to dissect nearly every aspect of a users online life is not enough for Google, now they want to offer a range of devices that can start recording the minucia of everyday home life.

lowlevel 13y ago

I have a feeling I'll be ripping the Nest off of my wall in no time.

nodata 13y ago

Oh come on this has to stop. How much would it have cost Google to build Nest from scratch? Not 3.2 billion dollars.

angersock 13y ago
It's not the tech, it's the install/customer base.
- pgrote 13y ago
  How large is the installed base? It appears to be small for smart thermostats and even smaller for Nest. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/11/02/2877211/smart-thermostats-poised-major-market-growth/ http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/11/02/2877211/smart-th...
- sandis 13y ago
  Would it really take $3.2b to engineer a product similar to Nest and market it to an even wider audience? I'm happy for Nest guys, but the number is a bit ridiculous.
- kmfrk 13y ago
  You also get Tony Fadell, which is pretty damn huge. It’s almost like acquiring a Forstall company.
- 9999 13y ago
  I would have been a Nest customer, now I won't be. Oh well.
k-mcgrady 13y ago
The team has to count for something here. It's not just a few geeks who built an app. It's guys with lots of experience building incredibly successful products. Google doesn't have a lot of experience in hardware design. Nest do.
- epaladin 13y ago

toddmorey 13y ago

Please, please Google... don't spam me about starting a Google+ account when I'm just trying to turn the temp down a few degrees. I beg you.

patrickaljord 13y ago
And I beg all HN users to stop doing Google+ jokes as they're just as unfunny as they're unoriginal.
- ilyanep 13y ago
  I'm not convinced they're as much jokes as real concerns by people who have already been burned by this (see: YouTube -- I'm not going to argue about whether or not G+ integration has made these products better, but it's not unreasonable to not want your real-name associated with comments you made under a pseudonym, and to be so annoyingly pestered to do so!)
  - aniket_ray 13y ago
    Google+ is Google's social layer. Commenting is an inherently social activity and it makes sense to have a common layer i.e. G+ here to handle them. Changing the temperature is not a social activity. So no the jokes are not real concerns and are mostly silly intellectually lazy exaggerations.
    - taybin 13y ago
      God forbid

k-mcgrady 13y ago

Very surprised Apple didn't purchase this. Headed by Tony Fadell, brilliant design, I thought it would fit and be a nice diversification for them. However it will be very interesting to see what Google does with this. If I put away the cynic in me for a moment: the more data Google has on me the better their services are for me. I could imagine the Nest thermostat integrating with Google Now and the location data Google has on me for example to better now my comings and going.

Karunamon 13y ago
^^^^^^^^ So much of this. What I see happening is integration with Now - the system already knows when I leave work and when I leave home, and how long my commute is probably going to be. Instead of a dumb timer, it can adjust the controls based on that information.
smackfu 13y ago
I doubt Tony Fadell wants Jony Ive to tell him what to do.
jarjoura 13y ago
Google Ventures backed much of the company. So I doubt the VCs would let Apple make a lowball bid for the company (typical of Apple acquisitions). Plus Apple is never known to leave a company running, instead fully integrating it and all of the employees into some already functioning group (think iWatch).
foobarian 13y ago
I would've been surprised if Apple had bought them. They strike me as a highly NIH outfit.
crucifiction 13y ago
Perhaps Google bought them because Apple did try to make a bid. Hence the inflated price...
- easyfrag 13y ago

deleted 13y ago

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figital 13y ago

There's been a product on the market for several years called "TED" ... something seemed fishy when Google killed the data monitoring service ... http://www.google.com/powermeter/ http://www.google.com/powermeter/. Still ... you have the power (so to speak) to meter your own appliances. Yes you. Mine is still in the box :(.

sdoowpilihp 13y ago

This will give Google access to a very idiosyncratic data set no other major tech company has. It will be interesting to watch how they influence the product line over the coming years, as well as what they do in terms of integration with other google services.

mmuro 13y ago

Bummer.

matmann2001 13y ago

Great. Now I'll have to listen to an ad before my fire alarm goes off.

jmuguy 13y ago

Hmm, I wonder if this will make a security system (like canary http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/canary-the-first-smart-home-security-device-for-everyone http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/canary-the-first-smart-hom...) more or less likely. I assumed that would be the next product from Nest.

jusben1369 13y ago

I think folks are too focused here on Google caring about the temperature in your house. I suspect Nest's hw/sw/design chops will come in very handy when putting together say the experience of a self driving car?

vikas5678 13y ago

With all the data google already has on me, as a new homeowner, I think I'm terrified of buying this product. What kind of profile would this allow Google to build on individuals?

ThomPete 13y ago

For once I can understand the pricing and think its in fact cheap. 1) Nest has a realistic potential to be in "every" home if not the actual hardware then the underlying intelligence. 2) Nest has a business model that works. People are paing for it and they love it. 3) Combining Google data with Nest access points I can only imagine the awesome things they can come up with and improve. Perhaps the first glimpse at an intelligent grid system. 4) 3.2 is a steal and given that its cash its a good sale.

notacoward 13y ago
The only way Nest will have on in every home is by aggressively enforcing bogus patents against everyone who makes anything even remotely similar. We should cheer for that?
- ThomPete 13y ago
  I think you are missing the bigger picture here. It's not about the thermostat its about the ecosystem its part of. And I did write "every" :)
schwap 13y ago
> Nest has a realistic potential to be in "every" home if not the actual hardware then the underlying intelligence. I really don't think so. Many homes haven't even upgraded to a $20 programmable thermostat, let alone a $200 nest.

nostromo 13y ago

I'm happy for Nest but sad for myself, given the smoke detector was my Christmas gift last year. Previously I would look to YouTube as an acquisition done right. But after the kerfuffle around G+ integration, I no longer feel that way. If I have to sign in with my G+ account to manage my smoke alarm, it's going directly into the rubbish bin. If Apple had bought Nest, on the other hand, I'd feel very differently.

the_watcher 13y ago
I'd still look at YouTube as an acquisition done right. How long has it taken for Google to introduce something that you don't love re: YouTube? At this point, all Google decisions related to YouTube have to be considered independent of the acquisition.
- venomsnake 13y ago
  Well content ID is one thing that was unneeded and harmful. Also this video is not available in your country. So not that long. Circa 2007 maybe?
  - the_watcher 13y ago
    I was mainly referring to the commenter who said the G+ issues being his first problem with the YouTube acquisition. If that was your first major issue, I'd call the acquisition a success. Also, how much of content ID was YouTube covering it's bases legally with the DCMA? I guess, are there easier ways they could have been compliant while being less irritating to users like yourself? I honestly don't know.
daughart 13y ago
You don't want your G+ friends automatically notified when you burn dinner? Or will it be targeted ads for delivery pizza?
- brudgers 13y ago
  If you decide to go out to eat, your self-driving car will take you to TacoBell. Only TacoBell.

callmeed 13y ago

FYI Google Ventures participated in 2 of Nest's funding rounds, including leading their series C last year. I can't say exactly if/how this affects the acquisition but it does feel like some of the money is just traveling in a circle.

dengar007 13y ago

Now you can +1 your temperature!

mikeg8 13y ago
oh jesus

ChuckMcM 13y ago

It's awesome for the folks at Nest, but the first thought through my head was this : I am so starting a smart lawn sprinkler controller company!

interpol_p 13y ago
Oh please do. Irrigation systems have the clunkiest, most error prone interfaces I have ever used.
phireph0x 13y ago
I had the same thought, as that seems to be an overlooked market. After some research, I found a few: check out Greenbox http://www.greenboxhq.com http://www.greenboxhq.com and Lono http://lonoapp.com http://lonoapp.com for a couple of smart sprinkler startups.

mikeg8 13y ago

"To change the temperature of your master bedroom, please create a google+ account."

deleted 13y ago
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andyman1080 13y ago

Is it known how much equity Faddell had? Is he a billionaire now?

protomyth 13y ago

I was hoping Honeywell would buy them an experience a bit (at the division level) of a NeXT-Apple replay. I really am not sure about buying one given the implications of the data from this device being given to advertisers or used in advertising analytics.

ck2 13y ago

Do they own patents or something? Because with a $10 android chip, any Chinese plant could churn out Nest clones in a few months.

smackfu 13y ago
The tricky part is getting it on the shelves at Home Depot or Lowes. Nest threw a lot of money at Home Depot, if the dedicated end caps I've seen for the last couple of years are any indication.
- tanzam75 13y ago
  Home Depot and Lowes both sell private-label home automation products. They could buy the equipment from the Chinese and slap their own brands on it.

dpeck 13y ago

Woohoo, I look forward to it disheartening into Mountain View and only being used to control the HVAC at HQ and be shown off to board members on their quarterly tours.

andrewhillman 13y ago

Wow. This weekend I was talking about Nest with my dad and I said Google will end up buying them. Interesting to see that it's an all cash transaction. I guess all cash makes the deal cheaper for Google.

jd007 13y ago

what a great way to force g+ on users even more. "too cold and want to increase your temperature? add 3 friends to your circles!"

ehfeng 13y ago

Google should have negotiated for a $3.141 billion price.

YokoZar 13y ago
The 60 million dollar joke.

spiderPig 13y ago

Nice acquisition, but $3.2 bn?? Really? Just unbelievable.

belgianguy 13y ago

smart phone > smart car > smart house > ... ? ... > smart human I for one see great areas of improvement and possibilities inside the common house. Not that I'd wire up every appliance with a Wi-Fi sensor, but some data can be useful, if only for safety (falling asleep with the oven on: here a sensor could cut the power at a certain condition, or trigger the fire alarm, or ring up the firefighters). Or you left the house and realise you left some of the lights on, just tell the in-car console to open the domotics app, and tell it to shut the lights off. And the smart fridge, if RFIDs or its successor ever become cheap enough to be able to be printed on a milk carton, you could have your fridge's contents with you wherever you go, just open the app, look what's about to go off, or have it remind you to get extra supplies when you're near a point of interest. If they'll let me I'll hook up a Nagios server to my coffee machine.

MartinCron 13y ago
I know this makes me sound like a terrible luddite or hipster or both, but I've been thinking about all of these smart devices and services and how they may have a somewhat infantalizing impact on people. I recently met with some people behind a startup built entirely around generating meal plans for you. I understand that it's a useful service (for some types of people). But I worry about the implication that we are now a species that can't even figure out what to eat for ourselves.
- vdaniuk 13y ago
  Please educate yourself on choice paralysis and its implications, learn about the fundamental reasons (cognitive capacity, cognitive bias, etc) and only then worry about our wonderful, adapting, intelligent species.
  - MartinCron 13y ago
    I know you're trying to be helpful, but "please educate yourself" is almost never a constructive or helpful phrase. We can do better than that here.

lauradhamilton 13y ago

As a Nest owner this creeps me out. Google should NOT have always-on sensors of any type.

pessimizer 13y ago

I don't know a lot about Nest, but I understand that requests to the thermostat are made from the phone app indirectly through a central server? What possible consumer benefit could that indirection have? edit: The reason I ask is that I'm trying to figure out why an exact copy of Nest except that it didn't leak data and didn't require other people's servers to work wouldn't eat Nest's lunch.

smackfu 13y ago
Main advantage is that you can control it from outside the home, which is a selling point of the Nest. That's actually the main point of the app, since the device itself also has a UI that's probably easier to use if you just want to adjust the temperature.
ceejayoz 13y ago
I used that indirection to turn the heat up for my cat while on vacation, knowing that a big ice storm was coming. Couldn't do that if it only worked on the LAN.
- mdda 13y ago
  Actually puzzled : Why would the cat need it warmer indoors if there's an ice storm? Isn't keeping it at the same temperature enough? Or is the problem because the heating switches off overnight, so you feel that it needs a boost during the day to compensate? Isn't that something that a smart thermostat should cope with?
  - ceejayoz 13y ago
    Boosting it means if the power goes out for a few hours and the temperature drops 20 degrees in the house it goes from 70 to 50, not 50 to 30. Protects the pipes, too.

deleted 13y ago

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sixothree 13y ago
I don't think you can improve a google product without sharing more data.

mesozoic 13y ago

The real winners are DST Global and the others who bought round D and got what looks like a 50% return on $150 million in about 2 weeks.

baweaver 13y ago

So will I need to sign into my house with a Google+ account now?

baweaver 13y ago

So will I need to sign into my house with a Google+ account now?

14th 13y ago

... I'm glad I haven't bought one yet. Now I need to figure out how to build an open source one.

suprgeek 13y ago

$3.2 BILLION All-Cash offer. Is that Color-level valuation for a Thermostat company? Or more like Instagram-level... Holy Moly!

cududa 13y ago
Nest has great hardware designers (which Google lacks) and engineers. Nest first built a hardware/ software platform that enables them to in the future build other smart appliances and home automation tools. The thermostat was simply the first product.

aaronpeck 13y ago

Remember Sparrow?

everydaypanos 13y ago
sure

baweaver 13y ago

So YouTube didn't work as a G+ promoter, so now we'll have to log into our houses with it. Well played Google, well played.

pirateking 13y ago

I look forward to well designed Nest competitors that support connections and logging to user specified endpoints.

achy 13y ago

This might be a minority opinion, but I think more than home data collection (which they probably have a lot of already from phone / computer usage), that this is about acquiring a company that has cache and a 'cool' factor within both the design world and more importantly the market sector of young tech inclined home owners - a hugely lucrative market.

hoopism 13y ago

The Nest UI (web and mobile) is laughable horrible. Only has about 2 weeks historical data. Doesn't record what means a temp was adjusted (web? Phone? Nest?). Doesn't do any sort of trending long term or historical analysis. Charts overlay clicking points so you can see some data. Doing my own analysis it ended up using more energy than my manual changes. So I don't even use autoschedule.

callahad 13y ago

Time to add thermostats and smoke detectors to all those blog posts about "de-Googling" your life...

cmos 13y ago

Nest has built an expensive thermostat that is engaging. It certainly doesn't take $80 Million to do that. So perhaps they also spent their money developing a cheaper version after proving that people like it and more importantly proving it can save money and eventually pay for itself. I would spend a ton of money putting everything on one chip, getting the cost down to $5 or $10 for the same user experience. Maybe put in a cheaper display if needed. Now this wireless device in the house can pay itself off in very short amount of time, making it a super easy decision for consumers. The current offerings of thermostats are clunky and have horrible user interfaces that require modes and buttons and such to program.. forget about daylight savings time! If people can buy Nest functionality for $50 then google will have a solid foothold in people's homes. From that they can sell camera's that show up through your google TV device and get into the security market. The dial on Nest is a universal interface, as the original ipod has shown us, perfect for scrolling through menu's and long lists and for changing volume or choosing music. Might as well put a microphone in so people can ask the internet things. Still not quite sure it's worth $3.2Billion.. perhaps there was a bidding war?

jpswade 13y ago

Great. Now there's another Google product that will never hit the UK.

jgalt212 13y ago

oh, no. there's definitely no bubble.

subndes 13y ago

Google now able to collect more data points about your home too!

jyz 13y ago

3.2 billion is an insanely large number. But then when you step back and see Snapchat being offered the similar amount, you kind of feel sorry for Nest for selling.

noonespecial 13y ago

In a not-so-strange way this fits well with their recent robotics acquisitions. It really feels like lightning could strike a second time for google so long as they don't middle manage themselves out of it.

ffrryuu 13y ago

Bailing out the VC already?

throwaway420 13y ago

I wish we lived in a world where Google can be trusted with all of this personal data because they could do lots of interesting things to make lives easier and create more wealth for everybody. But I have every expectation that this data, if not right away, could someday be sent to the criminal gangs that wear suits and ties that are looking for new targets to loot and plunder. Just knowing the temperature in your house, cross-referenced with other data about you as well as electricity bills, could be enough for a future police agency to argue probable cause that you're running a drug growing operation and have them do all kinds of raids and intrusive searches and harassment. This shouldn't be an issue, but Google has earned absolutely zero trust with its obvious non-denials of NSA activity and other negative conduct.

outside1234 13y ago

I'm really surprised. I thought Nest was Tony Fadell's vehicle to make it back into Apple. I am going to sit here with a bemused expression on my face thinking of Tony Fadell at data driven Google. I put it 6 months before he is out of there.

jcampbell1 13y ago

The only possible way this acquisition make sense is that Nest has some truly amazing product in the pipeline. It is impossible to justify 3.2 Billion for a team or thermostats. My guess is they wanted to get acquired because some future product make sense to have Google's brand and go to market ability.

venomsnake 13y ago
A friend is currently working for an intrusive home management solution that certain telecoms are to unleash on the unsuspecting Germans. All internet of things stuff, all remote. It will be sold with internet subscription. The root capabilities will be in telco and not the home owner. I am willing to bet a lot that Nest have either something similar or that google wants to spearhead this market and are scrambling with whatever the cost the know how.

jerdavis 13y ago

This doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Besides the fact that Nest is a great product (But so are Triscuits), why would Google buy them? The Nest _does_ know when you are home. If Google starts to use Nest data to target adds at me, I'm going to rip it out, set it on fire, and mail it to Larry.

forgotAgain 13y ago

Google with (new) data sources in my house: hmm.

BIair 13y ago

On the face, appears to be a huge valuation for an overpriced thermostat and smoke alarm. But combined with their recent robotic acquisitions I wonder if this signals a move beyond the smart phone, and smart car, to the smart home? If Google engineers want to build the Star Trek computer, surely they want to build the Jetsons home.

bitwize 13y ago

Oh great. You have set a temperature of 65°F. Share your climate preferences your Google+ circles?

outside1234 13y ago

When do we start getting ads on the Thermostat? Or ads on our browser asking us why we are spending so much time at home?

benwerd 13y ago

Do other large tech companies not realize what Google's up to, are they unable to try to compete, or do they just not care?

pgcosta 13y ago

I understand why this is a good aquisition, but still 3.2B... The valuation was 'only' 2B. That escaleted a lot!

loganu 13y ago

It's not a talent acquisition. It's not a move towards more government monitoring. It's not meant to increase G+ sign-ups or sell ads for more efficient furnaces. It's a play into the growing "connected product" / smart home segment. When you combine google's resources, their current software and hardware products, and the type of products Nest is likely to move on to, you get some strong synergies that Google would be dumb to ignore. A little more discussion on where things could go from here (that doesn't touch on the NSA or government subpoenas) would be really refreshing.

wil421 13y ago

So will they shut it down like they did when bought sparrow or bump? I thought sparrow was great for iOS and OS X. Googles gmail app is not as stable. Lately I've been concerned about google and privacy this make make me change my mind and just buy a competitors version of a "nest". The price is what has been keeping me away.

michalu 13y ago

Yes, now we can have even more relevant ads!!

Luke-Jr 13y ago

Maybe Google will push Nest to comply with the GPL terms? They're currently missing the (required by GPLv2) build/install stuff from their source code releases... I've been unable to get root on mine so far :(

ivv 13y ago

Theoretically, Google could now be remotely adjusting your room temperature to maximize (or minimize) the effectiveness of advertising. [1] [1] http://anzmac.info/conference/2013/bestpapers/anzmac2013-364.pdf http://anzmac.info/conference/2013/bestpapers/anzmac2013-364...

rhythmvs 13y ago

Well, then we should have a better look at http://www.loxone.com/ http://www.loxone.com/ and maybe so keep our actual real-life data out of black box data centers.

Fogest 13y ago

Nest has a post on their blog about this as well if you're interested: https://nest.com/blog/2014/01/13/nest-google-and-you/ https://nest.com/blog/2014/01/13/nest-google-and-you/ I am not sure why people always say Google makes companies suck. This may be the case sometimes, but it is that way for most companies who buy things if they try to make changes. Just look at YouTube. It has become quite successful, despite some poor decisions.

ericcumbee 13y ago

On one hand google having more information is unsettling but at the same time it could lead to some interesting possibilities. In the summer my nest kicks the AC on at about 4:45 assuming that I will get home sometime around 5pm. But say I go afterwork to have a beer or drink coffee and stay out until 8pm. Nest knowing where my phone is means it could be smart enough to not turn my AC on until I am headed home.

Cub3 13y ago

Maybe we'll finally see Android @ Home become a reality http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/24/what-happened-to-android-at-home/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/24/what-happened-to-android-at...

regnum 13y ago

Good thing the Google founders have grown up and don't need adult supervision anymore.

skizm 13y ago

You must now login with your G+ account to turn on your thermostat or smoke detector.

dorfsmay 13y ago

So that means you'll have to have a google plus account, older than 13, and use an interface that use a protocol that replaces snmp but that is propriwtary to google, just to change the twmperature?

HorizonXP 13y ago

All I can say is that KPo is a beast, and he's totally why Google paid such a large sum of money for Nest.

fudgy73 13y ago

$3.2 BILLION?! Was Nest Labs making a profit? Seemed to me like they made cool devices that no one bought.

dangrossman 13y ago
They were shipping 50k thermostats a month over a year ago. Combine a heat-up in home automation interest this year with some very fancy endcaps they've placed in Home Depot (the thermostat and smoke detector, with interactive demo videos), they're probably selling much better today.

keithg 13y ago

Finally a tech company with enough good sense to realize that if you get a buyout offer that starts will "b" and ends with "illions", you take the money!

elwell 13y ago

"OK Google, flush the toliet."

WWKong 13y ago

This proves that the market for "better mouse trap" is huge. Look around the house. Pick something. Anything. Create a better version.

granttimmerman 13y ago

Well, I guess that's one reason/excuse why Nest turned me down a summer internship when I applied last November.

sidcool 13y ago

Isn't Google trying to spread too thin? I feel so.

kgarten 13y ago

I guess in future I'll need a google+ account to adjust the temperature in my house ... :)

eyeareque 13y ago

"It smells like you've burned your dinner. Would you like to order Dominos for delivery?" I love my nest. I hope they do good things with the brand. I'll admit.. I am fearful for what they'll do with it.

abhi3188 13y ago

After a look at Google's smart house experiment in London, I think it's safe to say, their next lot of acquisition targets will be home automation companies.

blueskin_ 13y ago

Suddenly I no longer want one. I loved the idea when it was a simple way to save on power bills, but I wouldn't have google spy on me even if I was paid money to use it.

sushirain 13y ago

Google + Nest + Boston Dynamics + Ray Kurzweil = Domestic Robot?

alberth 13y ago

What I still don't understand is why Google Ventures would lead a Series C round just last week and then this week Google Inc acquires them. Why even have the Series C round at all then?

abvdasker 13y ago

I hate to be that guy, but I think if Google's plan really is to tackle tech in the home, it probably isn't going to work out. The attempt to better integrate technology with common household devices and appliances is nothing new [1]. Most of the previous attempts over the last 20 years have have been met with limited success. The biggest obstacle is and has been that most of the utilitarian devices in homes already do their jobs pretty well. They're also inexpensive. What does Nest/Google have to offer that won't be more expensive and will present some life-changing advantage over a conventional stove/thermostat/garage door opener? [1] http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/1489021 http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/1489021

cleaver 13y ago

My thought on the topic, after being shocked at the price, was that Apple must have some home automation products as their next big thing. 3.2B to head off Apple from creating the "iPod of home automation" is still a bargain.