#017 - How *not* to think about IoT, with Michael Vladimer of Orange IoT Studio, USA

The Hardware Entrepreneur

My guest is Mike Vladimer, cofounder of Orange IoT Studio in Silicon Valley, the innovation strategy office of Orange, one of Europe’s biggest telecommunications operators.

Mike was previously Director of Business Development at Neura, an Internet-of-Things (IoT) startup. Mike holds an MBA from Berkeley-Haas and an MS Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon.

I had an in-depth discussion with him on a framework for thinking about this important hot topic - violate it at your own risk. We’ll talk about examples as well, such as how IoT is different from a conventional device like a garage door opener. He’ll moreover outline the four elements of a successful product, discuss our feelings towards IoT products vs our phone.

Enjoy listening.

Raw transcript is available at: https://www.thehardwareentrepreneur.com

Show highlights can be seen below:

• Orange IoT studio in short – [2:23]
• Internal and external collaboration in Orange – [3:17]
• Why did Mike co-found Orange? – [4:25]
• Mike’s background and his connection to the IoT – [5:25]
• A three-layer recipe on how to or not to think about IoT - [8:38]
• What it takes to have an IoT device? – [10:20]
• What are some wrong assumptions about IoT? – [12:09]
• What are some organizational or technological challenges for developing and adopting an IoT device? - [18:53]
• Mike’s position on the controversy of the IoT – [20:42]
• Security, one of the biggest roadblocks for developing IoT, and how to solve this issue – [21:33]
• Segmenting the security issue with IoT – [24:52]
• What’s the business model of Orange IoT Studio and what services do they provide? – [27:00]
• If you could time travel and go back in time, what notes would you give yourself? – [30:25]
• Which book had the biggest impact on his career? – [31:43]
• Mike’s interesting white board habit – [33:55]
• Some striking cultural differences that Mike had to overcome – [36:45]
• What is the best way to reach Mike? – [42:30]