Father Pod
Tony Fadell
Steve Jobs gets the credit and Jon Rubinstein got the job piloting Palm, but Tony Fadell is probably the one most responsible for creating the iPod. The stylish MP3 player begat the iPhone and iPad, revitalized the recorded music industry, helped the valley assume consumer products leadership and signal its arrival with funky billboards. Fadell led the team of 35 designers and engineers who created the breakthrough product that saved Apple, whose policy doesn’t permit anyone other than designated spokespeople to talk to the press. If the world knew Tony Fadell’s name, they would thank him.
