Steve Hales

Chief Mad Scientist

Palo Alto, CA

Steve Hales has been playing with software since the late ’70s. That’s when he found out he could write code that broadcasted leaky frequencies from an Imsai S100 bus computer and pick it up on an AM radio.

In the '80s, Steve created video games for Synapse Software: Fort Apocalypse and Mindwheel to name two. These classic games can be downloaded here.

In the mid-'90s, Steve, along with Jim Nitchals, created the first software MIDI synthesizer to run on a first-generation Mac. That software technology became the heart of Beatnik, Inc., the company founded by Thomas Dolby. Beatnik licensed that technology to Apple for QuickTime, and to Sun for Java in 1997, and then Nokia around 1999. Steve became part of the launch team at Danger, Inc., first defining the mobile audio experience for the T-Mobile Sidekick, and then building apps and popular games for the Danger Catalog.

After his time at Danger, Steve created mobile games for iOS including, The Mighty Decider for The Mighty Boosh and a few others.

Steve has also worked at Nest Labs on the smart, lovable thermostat and contributed to the technology behind the Nest Protect.

Steve loves to build both products and teams by ‘doing’, rather than ‘telling’. He founded IGORLABS to bring like-minded people together to collaborate on interesting ideas and projects. More details via his résume.