# The Secret to Beating Big Tech with Stuart Lombard of Ecobee

- Show: [Over the Air](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air)
- Published: 2022-12-15
- Length: 28m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/over-the-air/episodes/The-Secret-to-Beating-Big-Tech-with-Stuart-Lombard-of-Ecobee-e2l43r9

## Summary

Stuart Lombard, Founder & CEO of Ecobee, explains how the company survived and thrived by competing against giants like Google Nest and Apple, leveraging mission-driven culture and deep specialization in the HVAC channel. He details the technical evolution of the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, highlighting its radar-based occupancy detection, air quality monitoring, and integration with clean energy grids via AI-driven software like Eco+ and Alexa. Lombard also discusses the historical challenges of building IoT infrastructure in 2007, the importance of avoiding direct competition with tech monopolies by focusing on customer loyalty and guerrilla tactics, and the future of intelligent home energy management.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=0) Introduction: Stuart Lombard and Ecobee's Mission
- [1:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=83) Ecobee's Product Portfolio and Market Position
- [2:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=136) Competing with Google Nest and Learning from Failure
- [4:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=285) Strategies to Compete Against Big Tech Monopolies
- [7:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=431) The Evolution of IoT Infrastructure and Supply Chain Challenges
- [10:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=620) Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium: Hardware and Sensors
- [13:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=821) Eco+ Software, Clean Energy, and Data Science
- [15:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=951) The 'Wrong Side of Impossible': 0-to-1 Product Creation
- [17:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=1076) External Founders and Value vs. Price in Thermostats
- [20:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=1244) Venture Capital, Recurring Revenue, and Hardware Financing
- [22:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=1358) Recommended Companies: Generac and Harvest360
- [24:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2022-12-15-the-secret-to-beating-big-tech-with-stuart-lombard-of-ecobee#t=1479) Future of Energy Arbitrage and AI in Smart Homes

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Ecobee (company)
- Google (company)
- Nest (product)
- Apple (company)
- Raspberry Pi (chip)
- Alexa (product)
- HomeKit (product)
- Eco+ (product)
- Generac (company)
- Harvest360 (company)
- Roomba (product)
- GoPro (company)
- Fitbit (company)

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- [IoT in Residential Real Estate | Dwellwell Analytics, Inc.'s Dan Simpkins | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2022-10-04-iot-in-residential-real-estate-dwellwell-analytics-inc-s-dan-simpkins-internet-o) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Using Efficient Heat Pumps to Cut CO2 Emissions with Paul Lambert, Founder and CEO of Quilt](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-08-31-using-efficient-heat-pumps-to-cut-co2-emissions-with-paul-lambert-founder-and-ce) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Sonos: John MacFarlane](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-02-19-sonos-john-macfarlane) (How I Built This)
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## Citing this page

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