Why Google’s acquisition of Nest gets a big stinky face from me
I love my Nest thermostat. I have had it for over a year, and I literally use it every day (you know, since it’s a thermostat). I have sung the praises of my Nest (2nd gen) to anybody who would listen – “Adjust the temperature from the comfort of your bed!”, I’d proclaim. ” Control your energy usage while on the other side of the world!”, I declared. I’ve done both, and it is glorious. I really do love that silly little hockey puck stuck to my wall. The Nest is an engineering achievement, taking something in our every day lives that is completely boring and mundane, and making it exciting and cutting edge. That is no small accomplishment, as the dozens of other tech companies trying to “disrupt” their respective spaces have shown.
Because I am such a fan of my Nest, I was dismayed, and a little sad, to hear the recent announcement that they are being purchased by Google for the whopping sum of $3+ BILLION dollars (Cue Dr. Evil)!
Many have raised legitimate privacy concerns over Google’s control of Nest. No, I don’t want Google or their buddies at the NSA or FBI knowing my every move, like when I leave and come home, and when I get up and go to bed. I don’t want them to know that I prefer my home to be a cozy 70 in winter and balmy 74 in summer. But that’s not my main reason for being concerned.
Honestly, I am afraid that Google’s ownership of Nest will stiffle innovation. Google is a great company, and they have developed many wonderful products that I use every day. The problem is that I worry about Google’s ability to innovate going forward, and the negative influence that might have on the folks at Nest. It’s simply the law of large numbers, the bigger a company gets, the less adaptable and innovative it becomes. You can’t have a visionary, cutting edge company when 80% of your workforce is focused on incremental advancements in existing technology, and 20% (or less, I assume generously) are working on the cutting edge.
This is not intended to pick on Google. I had the same concern when Microsoft bought Skype. Think of any big tech company: Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo. They all face the same problem, which is that the bigger they get, the more they lose the ability to innovate. Big companies face pressure that start-ups dont – pleasing Wall street, courting Big Customers (enterprise and government), keeping regulators happy, etc. For this reason alone, I am skeptical to downright concerned about the acquisition. I hope to be proven wrong, but only time will tell!
What do you think about the announcement?
