The ‘father of the iPod’ on AI, blockchain, and Asia’s startups

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In today’s premium story, Tony Fadell – principal at investment firm Build Collective and often referred to as the “father of the iPod” – said that he sees AI leading a “revolution” similar to what the internet and smartphones brought in the past decades.

He also believes that many of what exists today will cease to do so as this AI wave passes, just like what happened with the early internet and smartphone players.

As I read the article, I found myself musing about all the phone brands that you don’t really hear about anymore, such as Blackberry, Nokia, and Motorola. And on the internet front, we’ve got names like MySpace and Geocities, all of which now inspire nostalgia.

It’s interesting to think about how the world has changed so much in the last 15 years. Let’s hear more from Fadell about his thoughts on AI and blockchain as well as what he thinks startups need to do to set themselves up for success.

Today we look at:

• Tony Fadell’s thoughts on current tech trends
• Sequoia’s split into three companies
• Other newsy highlights such as Byju’s filing a complaint against its lenders and TuSimple’s self-driving vehicle tests in Japan

Premium summary

Insights from the “father of the iPod”

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Tony Fadell’s accolades are well-documented: he created the iPod, contributed to the early development of the iPhone, and co-founded smart thermostat developer Nest, which was then acquired by Google for US$3.2 billion.

He’s now an investor but he’s still building products. Here are some insights he shared in an exclusive interview with Tech in Asia.

• The AI gold rush: Fadell sees ChatGPT as “a great feature for other products and not necessarily a great product in and of itself.” While he thinks the tool will improve how people use digital platforms, he doesn’t see it outright replacing products.
• Don’t say bye to blockchain: In Fadell’s view, blockchain is a “real technology” that is continuously improving. He believes blockchain will soon have a “breakthrough moment” thanks to the renewed importance of verification with the rise of deep fakes and generative AI.
• Think regional: His advice for Southeast Asian startups is to “make the thing that is necessary for your region.” He also urges them to stop emulating the big names in the West and to instead focus on the regional context, particularly in terms of customer experience and government regulations.

Read more: Exclusive insights from Tony Fadell on ChatGPT and the AI gold rush

Sequoia’s splitting up

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