Bill Nguyen is the mad scientist behind Lala, which Apple bought in 2009, and most recently Color, a video broadcasting app for smartphones that lets you share what you're doing with friends no matter where you are. Color got off to a rough start when it launched last year, and even supposedly turned down a $200 million offer from Google, but Nguyen is far from discouraged. He took some time to talk to us about building big things, failing at other things, and even the benefits of owning a nice down jacket. You can find him on Twitter at @BillNguyen.
Where are you? What have you done so far today?
So the new Color app is greatly optimized and built for 4G LTE networks. What comes after 4G LTE? How fast will wireless data get, and how soon?
Color is built on top of Facebook. Do you think Facebook will be around forever? What are the risks of using the Facebook platform?
Facebook is a legit platform. I can't see past five years, and I only see their platform growing during that time. People are sharing in so many ways. Zynga. Pinterest. Color. But underneath the covers it's still Facebook.
"Since my first startup, we've tried to build things with the intent that they'll be around."
How does it feel when people don't like something you've built? Do you listen to critics, investors, bloggers, and commenters when they tell you what to do?
It's definitely not ideal, but I take it with a grain of salt. Since my first startup, we've tried to build things with the intent that they'll be around. Onebox is still around to keep people's email. iTunes Match keeps the spirit of Lala alive. We're trying to build a social tool leveraging the latest hardware so what you capture will still be good enough years from now.
What technology in the market today is most exciting to you? Where will it be in 5 years?
I've noticed that you like wearing down coats. Why do you like them so much? Where, physically, is human evolution headed?
When you start a product from scratch, how do you organize your thoughts and prioritize your goals?
"We're headed toward the singularity right? Brains in a jar. Teleportation."
You visualize Color as a "visual status update." In ten years, what will a status update look like?
What past technologies have inspired your work the most?
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