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Jan 2, 2019 · 14m · a16z

a16z Podcast | Gateway Gadgets to the Internet of Things

Scott Weiss · 7m spoken Ben Kaufman · 6m spoken
0:00 / 0:00
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In this episode of the a16z Podcast, host Scott Weiss and Quirky CEO Ben Kaufman discuss the evolution of the connected home, exploring smart lighting as a gateway product, intelligent automation, energy efficiency, and the potential of keyless access systems across residential and commercial markets.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. How this is scored →

The host as informed peer 4.5 Guest teaching 4.3 Guest disagreement 1.5 The host pushing back 3.0
05100:0010:002:20–4:32 · The host as informed peer 3/10 Lighting as the Gateway to Smart Homes Weiss asks how consumers group smart devices and whether complex automation rules are ready for mainstream adoption. Kaufman explains that consumers buy single-item solutions like light bulbs first, framing IoT adoption as a retail merchandising challenge.4:32–7:14 · The host as informed peer 4/10 Automated Learning and Unintended Consequences Kaufman teasingly rejects Weiss's story about automated recipes, attributing it to 'nerdy friends' and arguing smart homes will programmatically learn behavior instead. Weiss pushes back by raising real-world friction like sleeping spouses and unwanted data tracking.7:14–10:02 · The host as informed peer 5/10 Energy Conservation and Commercial Applications Weiss brings up European hotel power keys and smart air conditioners to ask whether energy savings or convenience drives adoption. Kaufman agrees and shares commercial office code testing data from California to validate low-cost IoT hardware.10:02–13:31 · The host as informed peer 6/10 The Jetsons Future and Smart Appliances Weiss inquires about Jetsons-style appliances before presenting his own thesis that smart locks and cloud access control represent the true killer app for IoT. Kaufman accepts the premises and expands on how future lock hardware might become completely invisible.2:20–4:32 · Guest teaching 4/10 Lighting as the Gateway to Smart Homes Weiss asks how consumers group smart devices and whether complex automation rules are ready for mainstream adoption. Kaufman explains that consumers buy single-item solutions like light bulbs first, framing IoT adoption as a retail merchandising challenge.4:32–7:14 · Guest teaching 5/10 Automated Learning and Unintended Consequences Kaufman teasingly rejects Weiss's story about automated recipes, attributing it to 'nerdy friends' and arguing smart homes will programmatically learn behavior instead. Weiss pushes back by raising real-world friction like sleeping spouses and unwanted data tracking.7:14–10:02 · Guest teaching 4/10 Energy Conservation and Commercial Applications Weiss brings up European hotel power keys and smart air conditioners to ask whether energy savings or convenience drives adoption. Kaufman agrees and shares commercial office code testing data from California to validate low-cost IoT hardware.10:02–13:31 · Guest teaching 4/10 The Jetsons Future and Smart Appliances Weiss inquires about Jetsons-style appliances before presenting his own thesis that smart locks and cloud access control represent the true killer app for IoT. Kaufman accepts the premises and expands on how future lock hardware might become completely invisible.2:20–4:32 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Lighting as the Gateway to Smart Homes Weiss asks how consumers group smart devices and whether complex automation rules are ready for mainstream adoption. Kaufman explains that consumers buy single-item solutions like light bulbs first, framing IoT adoption as a retail merchandising challenge.4:32–7:14 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Automated Learning and Unintended Consequences Kaufman teasingly rejects Weiss's story about automated recipes, attributing it to 'nerdy friends' and arguing smart homes will programmatically learn behavior instead. Weiss pushes back by raising real-world friction like sleeping spouses and unwanted data tracking.7:14–10:02 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Energy Conservation and Commercial Applications Weiss brings up European hotel power keys and smart air conditioners to ask whether energy savings or convenience drives adoption. Kaufman agrees and shares commercial office code testing data from California to validate low-cost IoT hardware.10:02–13:31 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Jetsons Future and Smart Appliances Weiss inquires about Jetsons-style appliances before presenting his own thesis that smart locks and cloud access control represent the true killer app for IoT. Kaufman accepts the premises and expands on how future lock hardware might become completely invisible.2:20–4:32 · The host pushing back 2/10 Lighting as the Gateway to Smart Homes Weiss asks how consumers group smart devices and whether complex automation rules are ready for mainstream adoption. Kaufman explains that consumers buy single-item solutions like light bulbs first, framing IoT adoption as a retail merchandising challenge.4:32–7:14 · The host pushing back 5/10 Automated Learning and Unintended Consequences Kaufman teasingly rejects Weiss's story about automated recipes, attributing it to 'nerdy friends' and arguing smart homes will programmatically learn behavior instead. Weiss pushes back by raising real-world friction like sleeping spouses and unwanted data tracking.7:14–10:02 · The host pushing back 2/10 Energy Conservation and Commercial Applications Weiss brings up European hotel power keys and smart air conditioners to ask whether energy savings or convenience drives adoption. Kaufman agrees and shares commercial office code testing data from California to validate low-cost IoT hardware.10:02–13:31 · The host pushing back 3/10 The Jetsons Future and Smart Appliances Weiss inquires about Jetsons-style appliances before presenting his own thesis that smart locks and cloud access control represent the true killer app for IoT. Kaufman accepts the premises and expands on how future lock hardware might become completely invisible.

speaking balance: gold is the host, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%0:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%3:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%3:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%6:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%6:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%9:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%9:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%12:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%12:00 · the host 0% · guest 100%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 4:32 Dismissing techie automation rules

Kaufman playfully rejects Weiss's premise about consumer automation recipes, arguing average users won't set up complex rules and that automated programmatic learning will handle behavior instead.

 Hardest push from the host ▶ 5:25 Challenging automated smart home scenarios

Weiss pushes back on Kaufman's seamless automation vision by pointing out everyday edge cases and privacy issues like sleeping spouses or trackable behavior.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 2:20 Explaining the retail reality of IoT adoption

Kaufman educates Weiss on consumer purchasing behavior, explaining why disparate apps exist initially and why light bulbs serve as the true entry point to smart homes.

 The host holds their own ▶ 11:31 Detailed thesis on smart locks as the primary IoT killer app

Weiss demonstrates strong sector knowledge and clear strategic vision, laying out access control, cloud logs, and keyless entry as the most compelling IoT use case over lighting.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicThe host as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementThe host pushing backWhy
Lighting as the Gateway to Smart Homes 3412 Weiss asks how consumers group smart devices and whether complex automation rules are ready for mainstream adoption. Kaufman explains that consumers buy single-item solutions like light bulbs first, framing IoT adoption as a retail merchandising challenge.
Automated Learning and Unintended Consequences 4535 Kaufman teasingly rejects Weiss's story about automated recipes, attributing it to 'nerdy friends' and arguing smart homes will programmatically learn behavior instead. Weiss pushes back by raising real-world friction like sleeping spouses and unwanted data tracking.
Energy Conservation and Commercial Applications 5412 Weiss brings up European hotel power keys and smart air conditioners to ask whether energy savings or convenience drives adoption. Kaufman agrees and shares commercial office code testing data from California to validate low-cost IoT hardware.
The Jetsons Future and Smart Appliances 6413 Weiss inquires about Jetsons-style appliances before presenting his own thesis that smart locks and cloud access control represent the true killer app for IoT. Kaufman accepts the premises and expands on how future lock hardware might become completely invisible.

Statements from this episode (10)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Kaufman: 24% of Quirky Submissions Were Connected Products
“So we saw about 24% of community ideas being products that have radios built inside them,”
Ben Kaufman Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 1:11
Insight
Kaufman: Consumers demand smart home interoperability after acquiring three devices
“As soon as someone accumulates, we think around three of these products, they're going to be looking for these products to talk to each other, to work together, and to be a bit more harmonious.”
Ben Kaufman Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 2:45
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Kaufman: Wink data reveals light bulbs are the primary smart home gateway
“If we look at the data we're getting through our platform, Wink, Really what you're seeing is the gateway to the connected home is light bulbs. It seems like the first thing everyone's buying is bulbs either light bulbs and fixtures or actual light switches”
Ben Kaufman Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 2:56
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Kaufman: Smart homes will learn user behavior automatically instead of manual setup
“I don't think the average user in the middle of the country is going to be setting up robots or recipes or whatever techie word we put on it. What's going to happen though is you know, we can get, we can start to get really smart, right? So if we see that you …”
Ben Kaufman Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 4:34
Assertion Partly supported
Kaufman: 70% of people enter their homes through the garage
“70% of people enter their homes through their garage.”
Ben Kaufman Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 6:43
Assertion Partly supported
Kaufman: California mandates motion sensors in all new commercial offices
“There's a new California law that says all offices that are being built need to have light sensors and motion sensors in every single room, and if a room's not being used, the lights need to be off or at least dimmed to a certain level, and there's all sorts o…”
Ben Kaufman Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 8:53
Insight
Kaufman: Consumer hubs like Wink offer cheaper alternatives to Crestron
“In places like offices and commercial uses where you would normally have to buy a expensive system like a Crestron or a Lutron, if you can implement residential systems like a Wink you're also going to save money on the hardware as well.”
Ben Kaufman Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 9:32
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Scott Weiss: Smart locks are the top IoT application for five years
“If I were to handicap, like, what I would like to see in the next five years on Internet of Things, I think locks would be my number one.”
Scott Weiss Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 12:50
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Ben Kaufman: Future smart locks will be built invisibly inside doors
“I think you're gonna wind up with Lux or Invisible and that's where it gets interesting for me.”
Ben Kaufman Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 13:25
Insight
Kaufman: Keyless access adoption is constrained by physical replacement cycles, not tech
“The problem with all these technologies, the technology exists, and really the period we're in right now is a period of waiting for everyone to adopt the technology and go through these cycles of building new hotels, or changing out the doors in, in the 500,00…”
Ben Kaufman Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 14:24
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