Nest founder and “father of the iPod” Tony Fadell is featured in a new Fortune profile that devotes plenty of time to his relationship with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Fadell regrets that he never got to show Nest to Jobs.
“I would have loved to have been able to show it to him, but the timing didn’t work,” he said.
The article describes the Jobs-Fadell relationship as alternating “between the father/son and school principal/naughty student archetypes,” with Fadell saying, “He thought I asked too many questions,” and Jobs often returning the favor.
While it’s believed Jobs fired Fadell on numerous occasions, instead, Fadell says he “repeatedly quit.” The article notes that on at least two occasions, Fadell recanted his resignations, “having gotten his way each time.”
Fadell says he’s adapted well to the Google culture after selling Nest to the company: “I’m getting emails from people from all over the world inside Google,” he says. “At Apple the communications were very well structured.”
