The founding story of Nest is basically a tech myth so perfect that Hollywood would reject it for being too on the nose. Legendary product maker Tony Fadell, fresh off co-creating the iPhone, was supposed to be enjoying a peaceful retirement. Instead, he got annoyed by his thermostat and decided to reinvent it, because apparently nothing says "golden years" like obsessing over home temperature controls.

On this episode of Version History, The Verge's David Pierce, Nilay Patel, and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy walk us through Fadell's frustration with outdated, expensive thermostats and his swift return to the product game. Nest was remarkably successful, remarkably quickly, and a lot of that is due to Fadell himself - though the thermostat was a mixed bag. It got plenty right, and its big idea about the future eventually proved correct, but it also missed the mark in some important ways. At least it shipped with one heck of a screwdriver, which is more than you can say for most tech flops.

This is the third episode of the fourth season of Version History, which is apparently smart home season. If you haven't yet heard the stories of the Harmony remote or the Roomba, you should catch up - they're probably also about products you own and have complicated feelings about. The Verge subscribers can get the podcast ad-free by visiting their account settings, because nothing says "premium experience" like paying extra to avoid hearing about mattress companies.