Jordan O'BrienEarlier this month, Nest’s founder and CEO Tony Fadell stepped down from his post, opening up speculation into the company’s future. But new CEO Marwan Fawaz had a message for Nest employees: Nest is not for sale.
The news comes from a letter obtained by The Verge that Marwan sent to Nest employees in which he rallied his troops to continue to ‘lead in the connected home space.’ The Verge also reports that Marwan’s ‘only agenda for Nest is to scale and grow with innovative products.’
Part of the letter appears to reference a redacted product, which Tech Insider reports is an outdoor version of the Nest Cam that is more rugged and designed to withstand the elements. The report also says Nest will offer new colours of the Nest thermostat.
Below is the letter Marwan sent to Nest employees.
Joining the Nest
Hi Nesters,
It’s been a whirlwind few days! Thanks to all of you for the warm welcome on Friday. I’ve had the chance to meet many of you in passing and over GVC, and I was able to join many of my team’s direct reports for their staff meetings. Your collective passion and sense of mission are immediately apparent and contagious. It’s never easy to be the new guy, but Nesters have been incredibly welcoming.
I mentioned on Friday that my skills and passion are around scaling great companies — and products — to reach more customers. It’s what I like to think about and what I like to deliver. My only agenda for Nest is to scale and grow with innovative products. Nest is not for sale, and scaling and innovation aren’t mutually exclusive.
I’m counting on each one of you to help maintain our culture of disruption, the source of the Nest magic. This culture is how we’ll continue to lead in the connected home space, continue to attract the best talent around, and help save even more energy and lives.
Many of you have asked if there’s a change in strategy or direction. There is not. We need to focus on delivering the great roadmap we have in place, beginning with [redacted]. This is how we’ll reset the narrative about Nest, reminding our customers, partners, and competitors of how we became the #1 connected home brand in the first place. Nest understands design, customer needs, and the importance of home. I know you will all work hard in the coming weeks to ensure we continue to surprise and delight our customers and I’m very excited to be a part of it.
Rightfully, many of you have questions, and I look forward to addressing them candidly and in person. We have a number of upcoming face-to-face meetings, from Lunch & Learns to office visits to department All-Hands. Stay tuned for details of upcoming opportunities to meet and share thoughts, concerns and ideas.
Thank you,
Marwan