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Being a CDS Fellow means getting a chance to interact with visiting executives, which can be incredibly interesting. Some of us got a chance to do that during the Tech@Tuck: The Internet of You, a panel on connected home two weeks ago. The guests included Adam Mayer, the VP of IntelligentHome at Time Warner Cable; Seth Frader-Thompsom, the President of EnergyHub; and Tom Chmielewski, the Vice President of Strategic Sales at iControl Networks. The three of them discussed the future of the connected home and trends they anticipate in the space for the duration of an hour and fifteen minutes on a Thursday afternoon.
As a CDS Fellow, we have to interview at least one visiting executive a year. I had the opportunity to interview Adam Mayer, and it proved to be the most interesting experience of the day! Adam is wickedly funny, and very, very well-spoken. We chatted about the future of the intelligent home, the security issues around allowing users the functionality of in-home video feeds, the possibility of working with energy companies to balance power across grids based on electric consumption by users, and general industry trends. Adam provided thoughtful answers, and I walked away with the feeling that as soon as I am able to, I am going to subscribe to Intelligent Home! That interview is posted here and below:

After the interview, the school was treated to a panel with Adam, Seth and Tom, and their thoughts on the connected home. They addressed questions around the user base for the connected home, how they see the market growing, the implications for sustainable practices especially in the energy business, security concerns, Google’s acquisition of Nest and what that implies for the internet of things, wearable tech, future trends and how their businesses have changed to adapt to the connected home space. It was a fascinating panel discussion, led by our faculty advisor and the Faculty Directer of the Center for Digital Strategies, Prof. Alva Taylor.

Here are some of the videos from this session:
Career Advice
Google’s Acquisition of Nest
Wearable Tech and the Connected Home
After the panel, the CDS Fellows enjoyed a cocktail reception followed by dinner with the guests as well as Prof. Taylor and members of the Center for Digital Strategies. The relaxed, low-key environment had the guests laughing and sharing stories from their business school days, and giving us career advice. It was wonderful, and reminded us again why we signed up to be CDS Fellows!