# The OG of IoT: A Chat w/ Rob Tiffany (Part 1)

- Show: [Over the Air](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air)
- Published: 2022-01-04
- Length: 30m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-01-04-the-og-of-iot-a-chat-w-rob-tiffany-part-1
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/over-the-air/episodes/The-OG-of-IoT-A-Chat-w-Rob-Tiffany-Part-1-e2l43sh

## Summary

Rob Tiffany, VP & IoT Intrapreneur at Ericsson and former executive at Microsoft and Hitachi, discusses the evolution of IoT from the 1990s to the present. He details his early work at Real Time Data monitoring vending machines, the strategic failures of Windows Mobile against Apple and Android, and the economic realities of consumer IoT. Tiffany argues that industrial IoT's true value lies in moving operations from 'guessing' to 'knowing' through predictive maintenance and automation, while warning of the workforce disruption caused by accelerating technological change.

## Chapters

- [0:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-01-04-the-og-of-iot-a-chat-w-rob-tiffany-part-1#t=35) Introduction and Early IoT History
- [7:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-01-04-the-og-of-iot-a-chat-w-rob-tiffany-part-1#t=425) Windows Mobile Strategy and Failure
- [14:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-01-04-the-og-of-iot-a-chat-w-rob-tiffany-part-1#t=865) The Consumer IoT Bubble and Economics
- [18:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-01-04-the-og-of-iot-a-chat-w-rob-tiffany-part-1#t=1114) Industrial IoT: From Guessing to Knowing
- [24:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-01-04-the-og-of-iot-a-chat-w-rob-tiffany-part-1#t=1444) Automation, Workforce Impact, and Conclusion

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Real Time Data (company)
- Windows Mobile (product)
- Hitachi (company)
- Lumada (product)
- Azure IoT (product)
- Nokia (company)
- HTC (company)
- McCaw Cellular (company)
- Rob Tiffany Digital (other)
- IoT Coffee Talk (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Submarines, IoT, and Intrapreneurship with Ericsson's Rob Tiffany](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2021-09-28-submarines-iot-and-intrapreneurship-with-ericssons-rob-tiffany) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [The Future of the IoT Connectivity Landscape | Ericsson’s Rob Tiffany](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-10-05-the-future-of-the-iot-connectivity-landscape-ericssons-rob-tiffany) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Industrial IoT and Connectivity | Simply Embedded's Chris Karaplis | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2025-11-11-industrial-iot-and-connectivity-simply-embeddeds-chris-karaplis-internet-of-thin) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Future-Proofing Solutions for Industrial IoT | Joe Biron, Chief Technology Officer of Internet of Things Technology at PTC | E053 #IoTMakers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-02-19-future-proofing-solutions-for-industrial-iot-joe-biron-chief-technology-officer) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Predictive Maintenance in IIoT | Senseye's Rob Russell | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2023-02-14-predictive-maintenance-in-iiot-senseyes-rob-russell-internet-of-things-podcast) (IoT For All Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-01-04-the-og-of-iot-a-chat-w-rob-tiffany-part-1. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Over the Air.