Science & invention / Business & brands
Tony Fadell
born 1969 · engineer, designer, entrepreneur
Engineer known as the 'father of the iPod', co-creator of the iPhone and founder of Nest Labs; he grew up in the Detroit area and graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 57- Birth name
- Anthony Michael Fadell
- Detroit years
- 1969–1991
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Fadell was born in Michigan in 1969, to a Lebanese father and a Polish mother, and grew up in the Detroit area, graduating from Grosse Pointe South High School in Grosse Pointe Farms. He studied computer engineering at the University of Michigan, finishing in 1991, and started small technology companies while still a student. After working at General Magic and Philips, he joined Apple in 2001 to lead the development of the iPod, overseeing its hardware, software and accessories, and he later directed hardware development for the first three generations of the iPhone. In 2010 he co-founded Nest Labs, whose learning thermostat launched in 2011; Google bought the company in 2014 for $3.2 billion. He holds more than 300 patents and wrote the advice book Build (2022).
Highlights
- Led development of the iPod at Apple from 2001; called 'father of the iPod'
- Oversaw iPhone hardware for its first three generations
- Co-founded Nest Labs (2010), sold to Google for $3.2 billion (2014)
- Grosse Pointe South High School and University of Michigan (1991) graduate
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · 1980s
Grosse Pointe South High School
The Grosse Pointe Farms high school he graduated from before studying at the University of Michigan.