#014: Why Your IoT Project Still Hasn’t Taken Off — And How to Fix It

In today’s Coredump Session, the team takes a hard look at why some IoT projects stall before they ever hit scale. From organizational missteps to product-market fit challenges, they explore the hidden forces that derail even technically sound products. You’ll hear candid insights on why being “connected” isn’t enough—and what it really takes to succeed in IoT today.Key TakeawaysThe biggest blockers for IoT teams aren’t always technical—they’re organizational, strategic, and systemic.Shipping a connected device doesn't guarantee product-market fit, especially if it's missing the right workflows or visibility.Engineers often build what's technically possible instead of what's valuable for the business.Collecting data from devices is table stakes—but what matters is how you use that data to drive action.Many teams lack a clear owner for post-deployment success, leading to blind spots in field performance.“Observability” should go beyond crash logs and include signals that help prioritize engineering work.Product-market fit isn’t static—it has to be reevaluated and maintained across the device lifecycle.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to IoT Challenges01:54 Afzal’s Journey in IoT & Early Expectations04:11 The 500K SIM Card Mirage08:10 Why IoT Projects Stall: Internal Resistance & Misaligned Incentives14:25 Rethinking the “IoT” Label: Lessons from Pebble17:28 When Good Tech Still Fails: The Organizational Blindspot20:43 Field Reality Check: Why Real-World Feedback is Critical26:00 Who Owns It? Accountability After Launch29:07 Designing for Fault Tolerance in Connected Devices32:52 Fragmentation in IoT: Meeting Diverse Customer Needs37:27 Niche Focus as a Winning Strategy39:57 What IoT Can Learn from AI’s Go-to-Market Playbook44:42 Drivers for Success in the IoT Space47:14 The Future of IoT: Regulation, Trust & E-Waste50:32 Final Reflections on Long-Term Ownership & Customer ImpactJoin the Interrupt Slack ⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch this episode on YouTube Follow Memfault⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠Other ways to listen:⁠⁠Apple PodcastsiHeartRadio⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon MusicGoodPodsCastbox⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our website

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