Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making

Yuzo Makitani -

The Book in 3 Sentences

Tony Fadell shares his insights on innovation, design, and entrepreneurship, drawing from his experiences at General Magic, Philips, Apple, and Nest. The book offers practical advice on how to build impactful products and navigate the challenges of leading a tech company from startup to multi-national, from the viewpoint of a individual contributor to a top executive. Fadell emphasizes the importance of vision, perseverance, and learning from failures in the journey of creating meaningful products.

Impressions

This book is very unique because it gives an inside scoop into the mind of someone who charted his path from individual contributor to manager to vice president to CEO at significant product oriented companies. It gives an inside look at which company cultures result in the most successful products by comparing all the companies Fadell worked at.

Only someone like Fadell, who is not a career author, could write this book. Fadell’s advice comes directly from his experience instead of third party interpretations of research and interviews of other successful people. Fadell doesn’t present obvious information as something new or beat around the bush, which makes the book incredibly fulfilling and addictive to read.

One example is where he throws shade at Google culture and specifically doesn’t hold back on calling out Larry Page. He recounts how Page was indecisive about Nest’s potential sale to Amazon by backtracking on it after Fadell already committed to leave Google. He also mentions the difference in leadership styles between Jobs and Page, where Jobs would “drop bombs” to give his full support, whereas Page was non-comital. He does end the chapter by thanking Google and Page for ultimately integrating Nest into the Google ecosystem, which I think is to protect his back. The book is filled with these sorts of insider insights at the top level that add more color than a biography or self-help book written by a career writer.

How I Discovered It

This book was recommended to me in Apple Books when it came out in 2022. It sat in my wishlist for a year before I bought and read it.

Who Should Read It?

This book is highly relevant for people working in any industry that sells or manufactures a product. Whether you are working at a startup or mid or large sized company, whether you are an engineer or program manager, and whether you are an IC or CEO or anywhere in between, Fadell gives relevant points across all of these dimensions.

How the Book Changed Me

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How my life / behavior / thoughts / ideas have changed as a result of reading the book.

This book reiterated many concepts I learned at Apple about successful teams and managers. For example, teams do their best work when team members and managers are unafraid to bring up problems and unafraid to “tell it like it is.” When I first joined Apple, I didn’t understand why the company didn’t provide kickbacks like free lunches and more company events given how wealthy the company was. Fadell reiterated what I learned from working there for seven years, that these perks aren’t necessary to build a dedicated and successful organization, and it isn’t in Apple’s DNA because it had to survive a near extinction event in the past.

I’ll likely come back to this book in the future because there are many great concepts and snippets of advice that aren’t currently applicable to me as a university student, but will be once I start work again.

My Top 3 Quotes

  • “So when you’re looking at the array of potential careers before you, the correct place to start is this: 'What do I want to learn?'”
  • “Honesty is more important than style… You can be successful with any style as long as you never shy away from respectfully telling the team the uncomfortable, hard truth that needs to be said.”
  • “The best ideas are painkillers, not vitamins.”

Summary

1. Build Yourself

Summary: This section focuses on personal growth and self-improvement. Fadell emphasizes the importance of understanding your motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. He discusses the significance of curiosity, continuous learning, and embracing failure as part of the growth process. Fadell encourages readers to seek out mentors and to never stop asking questions, fostering an environment of perpetual personal development.

Key Points:

  • Be curious and continuously learn.
  • Embrace failure as a learning opportunity.
  • Seek mentors and ask questions (as an IC, you need to occasionally look up and look around)
  • Understand your motivations, strengths, and weaknesses.

2. Build Your Career

Summary: In this section, Fadell provides advice on building a successful career. He covers topics such as finding your passion, navigating career changes, and the importance of perseverance. Fadell shares his own career journey, highlighting the lessons he learned at General Magic, Philips, Apple, and Nest. He stresses the need for resilience and adaptability in the face of challenges and setbacks.

Key Points:

  • Find your passion and align your career with it.
  • Be adaptable and resilient in the face of challenges.
  • Learn from each job and role, regardless of its duration.
  • Persevere through setbacks and failures.

3. Build Your Product

Summary: This section delves into the nitty-gritty of product development. Fadell outlines the steps involved in taking an idea from concept to reality, emphasizing the importance of user-centric design and iterative testing. He discusses the value of prototyping, user feedback, and the iterative process to refine and improve products. Fadell also highlights the need for a clear vision and the ability to pivot when necessary.

Key Points:

  • Start with a clear vision for your product.
  • Focus on user-centric design and gather user feedback.
  • Prototype and iterate to refine your product.
  • Be willing to pivot when necessary.

4. Build Your Business

Summary: In this section, Fadell explores the challenges and strategies of building and scaling a business. He discusses the importance of creating a strong company culture, hiring the right people, and fostering innovation. Fadell also addresses the complexities of raising capital, managing growth, and maintaining a balance between innovation and execution. He draws on his experiences at Nest and Google to illustrate these points.

Key Points:

  • Create a strong company culture and hire the right people.
  • Foster an environment of innovation.
  • Manage growth and maintain a balance between innovation and execution.
  • Understand the complexities of raising capital.

5. Build Your Team

Summary: Fadell emphasizes the importance of building and leading effective teams. He provides insights into team dynamics, leadership styles, and conflict resolution. Fadell highlights the need for transparency, trust, and open communication within teams. He also discusses the significance of diversity and inclusion in fostering a creative and productive work environment.

Key Points:

  • Build trust and open communication within teams.
  • Embrace diversity and inclusion.
  • Lead with transparency and authenticity.
  • Address conflicts constructively and maintain team cohesion.

6. Build Your Legacy

Summary: The final section focuses on the broader impact of your work and the legacy you leave behind. Fadell encourages readers to think about the long-term implications of their actions and to strive for positive change. He discusses the importance of ethical considerations, sustainability, and giving back to the community. Fadell shares his thoughts on the responsibilities of innovators and leaders in shaping the future.

Key Points:

  • Consider the long-term impact of your work.
  • Strive for positive change and ethical practices.
  • Focus on sustainability and giving back to the community.
  • Think about the legacy you want to leave behind.