Identify other “unloved” products in the home that Nest could convert into “loved” products and continue working toward its mission of creating a more thoughtful home.

In the mid-2000s, Tony Fadell was building his dream house. He was working at Apple, where he was instrumental in the launch of the Apple iPod and iPhone.

Fadell took his time building the house and involved himself in every detail. One thing that frustrated him, of all things, was a lack of good choices for thermostats.

Many things in the home had changed for the better over the years, Fadell thought, but thermostats had remained basically unchanged. They were ugly, difficult to program, and couldn’t be adjusted remotely.