What’s it like for a guy who worked at Apple to start making thermostats? A lot like this:

“So what are you working on lately?” a friend asks over lunch.

“I started a new company. We make thermostats.”

They chuckle, take a bite of their salad, “No, seriously. What are you doing?”

“I’m serious. Thermostats.”

They put down their fork, look concerned.

“Think about it,” I say. “I bet your thermostat is ugly and impossible to program. And I bet it drives you crazy.”

“I do mess with it a lot. Then I give up. Then I regret it when I get my energy bill.”

“Exactly. Turns out you change the temperature in your house 1500 times a year. 1500! Our thermostat learns what temperatures you like so it can program itself. It senses when you’re out and turns itself down. And we started from scratch with design, so it’s beautiful. Gorgeous hardware, easy install, fully integrated software, remote control from your smartphone.”

“That… sounds awesome, actually.”

“And it’s about more than looking pretty. Heating and cooling make up half your energy bill. Everyone’s thinking green, switching their light bulbs, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to what your thermostat could save. And when you realize that over 10 million thermostats are sold each year in the U.S. alone…” I lean back, let it sink in.

“Wow,” they say. They pause, they think. “Are you hiring?”