The Transport Guy: Smart home company Nest is being folded back into Google

Steve Kovach February 07, 2018 at 11:17AM

Alphabet's smart appliance company Nest is being spun back into Google, the companies announced Wednesday.

The move puts Nest under the purview of Rick Osterloh, the head of Google's hardware division that makes devices like the Pixel smartphones and Google Home speakers. Nest makes devices like smart thermostats, smoke detectors, and security cameras.

Here's the announcement published by Osterloh, the head of Google's hardware division:

Smart homes are no longer just a thing of the future. They make families feel safer with connected security systems. They help you save energy and money with intelligent thermostats. And they offer hands-free help and answers to a universe of questions with voice-activated smart assistants.

Since Nest joined Google four years ago, the team has experienced incredible momentum. The company doubled its hardware portfolio last year—selling more devices in 2017 than the previous two years combined. Meanwhile, Google has sold tens of millions of products for the home in just the last year, as more people use the Google Assistant to listen to their favorite music, control their connected devices, and get useful information about their day.

To build on this momentum, we're excited to bring the Nest and Google Hardware teams together. The goal is to supercharge Nest’s mission: to create a more thoughtful home, one that takes care of the people inside it and the world around it. By working together, we’ll continue to combine hardware, software and services to create a home that’s safer, friendlier to the environment, smarter and even helps you save money—built with Google’s artificial intelligence and the Assistant at the core.

We’ve had a head start on collaborating since our teams already work closely together, and today we’re excited to make Nest an integral part of Google’s big bet on hardware.

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Smart home company Nest is being folded back into Google from Business Insider: Steve Kovach