A day after Alphabet announced plans to roll Nest into its hardware team, co-founder Matt Rogers has announced that he’s exiting the company. The story was first noted by CNET and quickly confirmed by Rogers on Twitter.
Could just be social media talk, but Rogers’ brief statement on the matter appeared to imply that there were no hard feelings. “Nest has been an amazing journey and the honor of my career to build,” he wrote. “I could not be more proud of what we have all accomplished and can’t wait to see what’s next for Nest.”
Rogers says he’s leaving the company he started work on nearly nine years ago in order to spend more time at Incite.org, a VC firm and product development lab he also had a hand in co-founding.
“Our mission is to help transform a big idea into a big deal,” the Incite’s mission statement reads. “For some, the needed spark is funding. For others, it’s fundraising, networking or advice. Most often, it’s the right combo of all three.”
The executive also stated that he’s going to “start thinking about the next adventure,” perhaps pointing to another startup in his future. Rogers co-founded Nest in 2010, along with fellow former Apple engineer Tony Fadell, who vacated his CEO role in June 2016 — two years after the company was acquired by Google for around $3.2 billion.
Marwan Fawaz, an industry veteran, stepped into the position of company head — a role he will continue to hold in some fashion, even as Nest loses some independence as part of the larger Google machine.
Nest is a noted pioneer in the world of the smart home devices, with its eponymous thermostat and smoke detector and Nest Cam smart security camera lines. The space has become an increasingly important one for Google as the company has expanded its reach with its Home line of hardware products.
Until yesterday, Google maintained Nest as an independent entity of sorts, with “separate management team, brand and culture,” according to the company’s site. While Google has worked to curb concern over job loss and executive roles, the timing on this one most likely isn’t a coincidence.
Update: Rogers has provided TechCrunch the following statement,
After almost nine incredible, intense years working to build Nest, I’ve decided to begin my transition to dedicate more of my time to Incite.org, as well as to start thinking about the next adventure. In the coming months, I’ll be working closely with Google’s Hardware leads to define the 2019 roadmap and to ensure a smooth integration of Nest into Google’s Hardware group.Nest has been an amazing journey and the honor of my career to build. Together with the Nest team and our partners, we’ve helped save over 19 billion kWh of energy, helped save a number of lives – both human and pets – with Nest Protect, and helped families feel more safe at home with Nest Secure and Nest Cam. And along the way, we managed to build the leading brand in the connected home space. I could not be more proud of what we have accomplished and can’t wait to see what’s next for Nest.