#403: Tony Fadell — On Building the iPod, iPhone, Nest, and a Life of Curiosity

If you do your career right, between every 8 to 10 years, you're going to have a different chapter of your life, of your career ... When those pauses come up or when those big transitions happen, you need to think very clearly because you are about to get married for 10 years or 8 years to something else that you're going to put your heart and soul into if you're choosing correctly.

Just because it has the 'recyclable' label on it, it's not recycled; it's literally buried or burned, setting off toxic ashes... or it ends up in the environment like we see as litter or in the oceans ... This is a problem, and it's growing exponentially, and even the best countries in the world with all these resources cannot afford to recycle because it doesn't make any economic sense.

So what happens to all this stuff [plastic] once it's burned or buried? Then you find out it turns into micro and nanoplastics that remain in the environment for 500 years ... It's in everything we drink. It's in the air we breathe. It's in the soil... It's in the water... It's falling down as rain or snow on the polar caps... This plastic is everywhere. It's going to be everywhere for 500 years.

A lot of people learn then do; I like to do, fail, then learn.

Always, whatever you're doing, have great stories and great analogies because you need to relate to people on their level.

When those nanoplastics get into us, it's like asbestos. It causes inflammation in the body, and the body attacks it, and it could cause all kinds of things.

Just because it's recyclable doesn't means it's recycled. Don't trust your recycling labels. If you do recycle, you should still recycle, but for the most part, it's probably not going anywhere to be reused.

Everything in life is about your relationships and how you treat them... Whether times are good or times are bad.

You can usually get to a great answer or a really great question by asking 'Why?' about five times.

Alcohol and sleep, I've been astonished looking at heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and so on... Two drinks or more and my sleep is garbage.

Keep pushing, whether it's a failure or a success. Keep pushing even beyond success. And keep staying a beginner, trying to stay humble, and trying to work with others because that's your superpower at the end of the day.

Experiences are incredibly powerful things to learn from.