When you walk into a modern home and see a sleek, learning thermostat adjusting the temperature on its own, chances are it’s a Nest. But if you’ve ever wondered who actually owns it, you’re not alone. The simple question - Is Nest owned by Google? - pops up often, especially as Google keeps rolling out new Nest products under its own name. The answer isn’t just yes or no. It’s a story of acquisition, rebranding, and how one company’s smart home vision got folded into a tech giant’s bigger plan.
How Nest became part of Google
Nest Labs was founded in 2010 by Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, two former Apple engineers who wanted to make home devices smarter - not just connected, but intuitive. Their first product, the Nest Learning Thermostat, didn’t just let you control temperature from your phone. It learned your schedule, turned itself down when no one was home, and even showed you how much energy you saved. It looked like a piece of modern art. People loved it. So did Google.
In January 2014, Google announced it was buying Nest for $3.2 billion. That was a massive price tag for a company that had sold just over a million thermostats and a handful of smoke detectors at the time. Critics called it overpaying. But Google saw something deeper: Nest wasn’t just a thermostat company. It was a gateway to the home. Every device Nest made collected data about how people lived - when they woke up, when they left, how they used heat and light. That data was gold for Google’s long-term vision of an intelligent home ecosystem.
What happened after the acquisition?
At first, Nest kept its own brand, team, and office in Palo Alto. Google let it operate like a startup. That changed over time. By 2016, Google started integrating Nest’s software with its own services. The Nest app began syncing with Google Assistant. Thermostats started showing weather forecasts pulled from Google’s servers. Smoke alarms started sending alerts to your Android phone via Google Cloud.
Then came the big shift in 2018. Google quietly began rebranding Nest products under the name “Google Nest.” The Nest Thermostat became the Google Nest Thermostat. The Nest Cam became the Google Nest Cam. Even the Nest Hub smart display got the new label. The Nest brand didn’t disappear overnight - it just faded into the background. Today, if you buy a new smart thermostat from Google, it says “Nest” on the device, but everything else - the app, the voice commands, the account setup - runs through Google.
Is Nest still a separate company?
No. Nest Labs as an independent entity no longer exists. It’s fully absorbed into Google’s hardware division, which also handles Pixel phones, Chromecast, and Google Home speakers. The original Nest team has mostly moved on. Tony Fadell left in 2016. Matt Rogers followed in 2017. The people still working on Nest products today are Google employees, working out of Google’s offices in Mountain View and other global hubs.
That doesn’t mean Nest’s design DNA disappeared. The minimalist look, the smooth rotation dial, the way it learns your habits - those are still core to every new Nest device. But now, they’re built on Google’s infrastructure. The thermostat doesn’t just learn your schedule - it uses Google’s machine learning models trained on millions of homes. The doorbell camera doesn’t just detect motion - it uses Google’s AI to tell if it’s a person, a pet, or a car passing by.
Why does this matter to you?
If you own a Nest device, you’re already using Google’s ecosystem - whether you realize it or not. Your thermostat data is stored on Google servers. Your camera footage is uploaded to Google Cloud. Your voice commands go through Google Assistant. Even if you don’t use a Google Pixel phone or Gmail, your Nest device is tied to your Google account.
That has real implications. For example:
- If you delete your Google account, your Nest devices stop working.
- If Google changes its privacy policy, your home data policy changes too.
- If you want to use Alexa instead of Google Assistant, you can’t fully control your Nest devices with Amazon’s system.
Some people like that integration. They like being able to say, “Hey Google, turn down the heat,” and have it happen instantly. Others worry about giving one company so much control over their home. There’s no right answer - but knowing the truth helps you make better choices.
What’s the difference between Nest and Google Nest?
It’s mostly branding. The physical devices are nearly identical. A Nest Thermostat E from 2019 and a Google Nest Thermostat E from 2023 look the same. They have the same sensors, the same learning features, the same Wi-Fi chip. The only real difference is the software behind them.
Post-2018 devices get updates faster. They support more Google Assistant features. They can integrate with other Google hardware like the Nest Doorbell or Nest Audio. Older Nest devices still work, but they’re stuck on the old software. Google stopped pushing major updates to non-Google-branded Nest products after 2020.
If you’re buying a new thermostat today, you’re getting a Google Nest product - even if the box says “Nest.” The brand name is just a legacy label. The engine? That’s all Google.
What does this mean for the future of smart homes?
Google’s ownership of Nest didn’t just give it a thermostat. It gave it a foothold in every room of the house. Today, Google Nest includes thermostats, doorbells, cameras, speakers, displays, and even security systems. All of them talk to each other. All of them link to your Google account. All of them feed data into Google’s AI.
That’s why Nest is still around - not because it’s a standalone brand, but because it’s the most trusted name in smart home hardware. Google didn’t kill Nest. It turned it into the face of its smart home strategy. And that strategy is growing fast. In 2024, Google reported over 50 million active Nest devices worldwide. That’s more than all of Amazon’s Echo devices combined in the smart thermostat category.
The real question isn’t whether Nest is owned by Google. It’s whether you’re comfortable letting Google run your home - one learned temperature setting, one motion detection, one voice command at a time.
Can you still buy a non-Google Nest device?
No. Since 2021, all new Nest-branded products are manufactured and sold under Google’s control. Even refurbished units sold by Google are rebranded as Google Nest. Third-party sellers might still list older Nest models, but those are leftovers from before the rebrand. They won’t get new features or security updates beyond what Google has already released.
If you want a smart thermostat that’s not tied to Google, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Brands like Ecobee, Honeywell, or Mitsubishi offer similar features without forcing you into Google’s ecosystem. But if you already have a Nest device, you’re locked in - unless you’re willing to replace it.
