# #014: Why Your IoT Project Still Hasn’t Taken Off — And How to Fix It

- Show: [Coredump Sessions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions)
- Published: 2025-08-05
- Length: 57m
- Episode: 15
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/memfault/episodes/014-Why-Your-IoT-Project-Still-Hasnt-Taken-Off--And-How-to-Fix-It-e36gcmj

## Summary

Chris Coleman and Tyler from Memfault host Afzal Saleem, an IoT entrepreneur and former T-Mobile Netherlands startup lead, to discuss why IoT projects stall despite technical viability. They analyze organizational resistance, such as the Dutch railway case where internal job security fears blocked adoption, and the '500K SIM card' phenomenon where pilots fail to scale due to slow enterprise processes. The conversation highlights how giants like Google, Ericsson, and Cisco waste millions by skipping niche validation, contrasting this with successful niche strategies from companies like Golioth and Nordic Semiconductor. They argue that IoT must learn from AI's community-driven, fast-iteration go-to-market playbook to overcome fragmentation and e-waste risks from deprecated cloud services.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=1) Introduction: IoT Challenges and Afzal Saleem's Journey
- [2:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=167) The 500K SIM Card Mirage and Pilot Failures
- [8:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=490) Internal Resistance: The Dutch Railway Case
- [14:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=862) Rethinking the IoT Label: Pebble and Memfault
- [16:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=967) When Good Tech Fails: Organizational Blindspots
- [20:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=1236) Field Reality Check: Accountability and Fault Tolerance
- [25:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=1524) Who Owns It? Corporate Culture and Ownership
- [28:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=1730) Fragmentation in IoT: Niche Focus vs. Broad Platforms
- [36:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=2195) Niche Focus as a Winning Strategy
- [39:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=2359) What IoT Can Learn from AI’s Go-to-Market Playbook
- [44:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=2681) Drivers for Success in the IoT Space
- [46:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-08-05-014-why-your-iot-project-still-hasnt-taken-off-and-how-to-fix-it#t=2819) The Future of IoT: Regulation, Trust & E-Waste

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Memfault (company)
- Pebble (company)
- T-Mobile Netherlands (company)
- Narrowband IoT (other)
- Google Cloud (company)
- Ericsson (company)
- Cisco (company)
- Golioth (company)
- Nordic Semiconductor (company)
- Peloton (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Roadblocks of IoT Adoption | INLIGN's Rachel Richter & Russ Shumaker](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2022-02-22-roadblocks-of-iot-adoption-inligns-rachel-richter-russ-shumaker) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Scaling IoT for Enterprises | Ken Corless and Robert Schmid of Deloitte | E052 #IoTMakers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-02-12-scaling-iot-for-enterprises-ken-corless-and-robert-schmid-of-deloitte-e052-iotma) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Losant’s Brian Cerchio | Developing and Scaling IoT for Enterprise](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-08-03-losants-brian-cerchio-developing-and-scaling-iot-for-enterprise) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Solving the Challenges of IoT | Kallipr's Gerhard Loots | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-01-17-solving-the-challenges-of-iot-kalliprs-gerhard-loots-internet-of-things-podcast) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Bringing IoT Products to Market | Soracom's Ryan Carlson & Kenta Yasukawa | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-02-28-bringing-iot-products-to-market-soracoms-ryan-carlson-kenta-yasukawa-internet-of) (IoT For All Podcast)

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