Inside Design with Tony Fadell

Commonwealth Club of California

Commonwealth Club, 2022

5 min read

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How would you go about selling the iPod to Steve Jobs?

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Have you ever wanted to get inside the head of one of the designers of one of the most important products of the century? Here’s your chance. In this episode of the Commonwealth Club of California podcast, host John Markoff speaks to Tony Fadell about the development of the iPod, how it changed Apple and the world, and what it takes to create a product that resonates with users. In addition, he shares his thoughts on the culture differences between Apple and Google and where he thinks investors should focus their resources in the future. Spoiler: He’s not suggesting investments in Meta!

Summary

Technology continually changes, but human nature doesn’t.

When Tony Fadell pitched the iPod design to Steve Jobs, he knew to save the best for last. Company lore held that Jobs would almost certainly shoot down his first few ideas. Fadell presented two iPod mock-ups; sure enough, Jobs rejected them outright. Then he handed Jobs his favorite mock-up: a model built with Styrofoam and a couple of his grandfather’s fishing weights, which he’d added to give it heft. Jobs held the third mock-up in his hands, and the rest is history.

Now, more than 20 years later, does Fadell lament the discontinuation of the iPod? He doesn’t. “The drumbeat of technology never ceases,” he says; but he also points out that the iPod “is the cornerstone of modern-day Apple. If it wasn’t for the iPod, you wouldn’t have the iPhone.”

Technology is always changing, says Fadell, but “human nature doesn’t change,” whether you’re talking about the dynamics within a team, the politics within a company or the nature of the customer. The only way to succeed when designing new products, services or even businesses...

About the Speakers

Tony Fadell is an entrepreneur, engineer, designer and investor. He was the founder and former CEO of Nest Labs and the senior vice president of the iPod division at Apple. Host John Markoff is the author of Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand and other titles. He was a journalist at The New York Times for 28 years. The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1903.

Tony Fadell and John Markoff

Inside Design with Tony Fadell

Commonwealth Club of California

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Technology continually changes, but human nature doesn’t.

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