Last week was my last week at BERG.
Later this month I’ll be starting work at Google, specifically their Creative Lab in NYC, as Interaction Design Director.
I’ve worked with a few of the team there on projects at BERG, such as Lamps and Connbox – both of which are some of my favourite output of the studio. During working with Creative Lab I was struck by the width of their brief, and the depth of talent they had in their studio.
Late last year I became a dad, and while I took time out from BERG to help look after our new twins the opportunity to work with Creative Lab arose.
I’d loved the time I’d spent helping build BERG. We’d gone from a small creative partnership to a studio of more than 15, whose work was featured in MoMA and the Metro, cited by the late Steve Jobs and sneered at by Jeremy Paxman… And finally, releasing its own groundbreaking internet-of-things platform and products, that got nominated as a design of the year…
But. Y’know… Google.
There’s nowhere bigger, or more ambitious.
The canvas is the future of everyday life, for nearly everyone.
How we learn to live with and use artificial intelligence. How to honestly and simply communicate products and services that mere months ago seemed science-fictional, so that people can evaluate them properly and, hopefully, become literate in them.
How we make sufficiently-advanced technologies distinguishable from magic so that everyone, not just a priesthood, benefits.
The opportunities are massive, as are the responsibilities and the criticisms.
Too much to pass up.
So – I’m joining old friends such as Iain, and new comrades such as Ben, Alexander and many others, at Google Creative Lab.
I’m keeping an “at-large” advisory role at BERG as it focusses on its product business turning BERG Cloud into the OS for the Internet-of-things.
I’m moving to New York.
A new career in a new town.
Blimey.
Petafloptimism 
golly gosh indeed. what an amazing move. will you a picture of my dog on the google home page, pleeeese?
Congrats, Matt! I hope the job is creatively challenging and that the whole family enjoys the adventure of New York.
Hey Matt, we only met briefly when I was looking for a job this time last year and you introduced me to BERG and Ozone (which then went on to become my favourite London coffee spot).
You may not remember, but back then I had a feeling something big would eventually happen – the kind of ideas floating around and wonderful stuff coming out of the office at the time, it was like being introduced to a parallel world. My new place ended up working with BERG, but when they announced you were leaving, I knew exactly where you’d be headed… *strokes imaginary beard*.
Wishing you all the best in your new place, and hope you embark on exciting new adventures 🙂
Matt – that’s fantastic – I’m pleased to read how excited you are about this and personally happy that this will bring you a few thousand miles closer to where I hang out and hopefully increase the frequency of our paths crossing. Congrats!
Best of luck, Matt!
Wow, Congratulations Matt! That’s amazing news, what a great opportunity! Wishing you all the best!
Thrilled for you and yours. Magnificent. Hope to see you all when we’re in NYC later this year. Also, Bowie. Low. A New Career in New Town. Molecular structure of my heart morphing as I listen again to this long-loved song. Thank you.
Belated congrats. Very exciting.
Exciting changes! Congratulations, Dr. Jones. You’re going to change the world, some more.
A bit of warning, please, should you see the Singularity looming…
In the meantime, let’s make a point of seeing each other should you ever be summoned to the mothership!