Nest will be transferred back to Google’s hardware department

Nest, the maker of, among other things, a smart thermostat, is being transferred back to Google by parent company Alphabet. With this, the company wants to accelerate the development of ‘smart’ hardware for the home.

In an announcement, Google says it will continue to combine hardware, software and services. Nest products already support Google Assistant. By rejoining the teams, the integration should probably receive even more attention.

Nest was already part of the search giant’s hardware team after its acquisition by Google in 2014, but the company was spun off a year later, when Google split into parent company Alphabet and many other companies below it.

According to Google, Nest sold more devices last year than in the previous two years combined. Google itself claims to have sold tens of millions ‘for the home’ last year. With this, the company is probably referring to its Home speakers with Google Assistant.

Nest released a security camera and a cheaper smart thermostat with a new design last year. The company also announced a doorbell. A Google spokesperson told TechCrunch that Nest products will continue to be marketed under that name and that Nest’s CEO will now come under the leadership of Rick Osterloh, who heads Google’s hardware division.