Product Valhalla
By Yoel Frischoff
How tangibles transform from one-time transactions into ongoing relationships through service layers, creating customer value and competitive moats beyond the initial hardware sale
The next morning, some Tesla owners woke up to find “Romantic mode” as they tried to heat their cars in the chilly morning of November 30th.
The update, automatically available after an overnight firmware update, also included gems such as “fart mode” which emulates flatulent sounds when the passengers take their seat. Class was never the hallmark of Mr Musk’s endeavors, if one ever needed a reminder.
This FOTA functionality — Firmware Over The Air — allows technology vendors to continuously improve their field-deployed hardware without recalling it to the lab or service station. This approach bears many benefits at the operational level, reducing costly recalls, and ensuring broader standardisation of the install base.
