Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making

by Tony Fadell

This job can suck you dry if you let it. It can also be one of the most liberating experiences of your life. Since I was a kid, I tried to convince people to follow my crazy ideas. I spent so much time and energy and emotion desperately trying to get them to do things differently. The crazier the idea, the more it cut against the grain, the longer and harder I had to fight for it. And so often the answer I got was no. No. Not right now. Long before Apple got into the game, I pitched the concept for an early iPod-like MP3 player to RealNetworks, Swatch, Palm. Everyone turned it down. No. No. Maybe we’ll consider it next quarter. Maybe next year. But when you’re CEO, you’re in charge. Sure, you’re constrained by money or resources or your board, but for the first time there are no constraints on your ideas. You get to finally test out the things that other people told you couldn’t be done. It’s your opportunity to put your money where your mouth is. That freedom is thrilling and empowering and utterly terrifying.