Tony Fadell, the man who designed the iPod for Apple, now works for Google.

That's because Google just bought Fadell's company, Nest Labs, for $3.2 billion.

Nest Labs makes Internet-connected thermostats and smoke detectors.

Fadell first began working with Apple as independent contractor when the iPod was still a side project by then CEO Steve Jobs.

But Jobs liked Fadell's iPod design so much that he brought Fadell into the company.

Eventually, Fadell would be sidelined at Apple after he lost a contest with Scott Forstall over who would we get to lead development of the iPhone. Supposedly, Apple design guru Jony Ive also did not get along with Fadell. Fadell eventually left the company.

Google — once a pure Web company — is now deep into the consumer electronics business.

It sells Nexus-branded tablets and Chrome laptops. It bought Motorola in 2011 for $12.5 billion, and finally launched a post-merger phone designed called the Moto X in 2013.

Now, whatever's next will have input from the guy who designed one of the world's best-selling consumer electronic devices.