An interview with JUUL Labs’ Founder and Chief Technology Officer Adam Bowen
“I really wanted to develop something that has a positive impact on society,” JUUL Labs, Inc. Co-Founder Adam Bowen told BusinessWorld in an exclusive interview.
From these few words alone, one can already figure out what the driving force of JUUL Labs, a San Francisco-based technology company, is — its mission to improve the lives of the world’s one billion adult smokers.
The JUUL, a smokeless nicotine device promoted as a true alternative to combustible cigarettes, is the brainchild of Bowen and James Monsees, who, interestingly, are former smokers of traditional cigarettes.
The idea started from a smoke break in 2004, when the two gentlemen were taking their Masters’ degree in product design at Stanford University, and talked about the drawbacks of their smoking habit. As smokers, the pair understands just how difficult it is to quit from the habit.
This awareness inspired them to create a modern, technologically-advanced alternative with a simple, intuitive, and easy-to-use design that can deliver nicotine in the same satisfying way expected by smokers but without the tar, carbon monoxide, and other chemicals present in combustible tobacco.
“Smoking remains to be the leading cause of preventable disease and death globally, claiming up to 7 million lives annually. In the Philippines, there are 16 million smokers — 75% of which wish to quit smoking but only 4% are able to successfully do so, due to the lack of viable alternatives. As product developers, we felt that it was both an opportunity, as well as a challenge, to create an effective alternative that can help in reducing smokers’ risk of illness and mortality,” Bowen said.
The JUUL device is a result of years of labor, experiments, and product iterations. Recalling the device’s first design more than a decade ago, Bowen described it as “unattractive” and “complicated.”
The JUUL was first introduced in the US market in 2015, and has slowly yet definitively disrupted the tobacco industry. A study conducted by research group Nielsen showed cigarette pack sales in the US falling by as much as 11.2% as of May 2019.
“Obviously, it took a lot of trial and error to get the product right. But when we launched JUUL, we truly believed that it was the first true alternative to combustible smoking. And now, the numbers really reflect that,” Bowen said.
While JUUL Labs’ market share continues to grow across and outside the US, the clarity of its mission — improving the lives of the world’s one billion adult smokers — has been constant and unwavering.
Aside from being a mission-driven company, JUUL Labs greatly values innovation as part of its success. “Innovation is critical to the company, serving as its platform to deliver its mission,” Bowen declared.
“I would say the mission is the why; the technology is the how. And for us, what’s important is not just the word innovation and its literal definition — something new. It’s the why. Why are you innovating?,” Bowen asked.
As the chief technology officer of JUUL Labs, Bowen is responsible for coming up with new product improvements and innovations, which includes utilizing Bluetooth technology that can allow JUUL users to monitor their nicotine intake. In this case, JUUL Labs, he said, upholds a smoker-centric approach.
“We start by interviewing smokers to enable us to fully understand their needs. We then work backwards to identify the specific designs and technologies we need to leverage on to be able to adequately satisfy those needs,” he explained.
Because of their groundbreaking innovation, and also JUUL’s mission of revolutionizing the domain of public health, both Bowen and Monsees were included in TIME Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people.
While the recognition took Bowen by surprise, it also brought home the realization of how significant JUUL’s impact is to society. “I knew when we started working on this that if we succeed, it would create a huge impact on people. Seeing it come to life, to become reality, has just been a real thrill in many ways.”
In the years to come, Bowen is optimistic that JUUL Labs will continue to grow not only in the US but also abroad. In fact, they’re just getting started, he said.
Asked about where he sees himself 10 years from now, Bowen said: “It’s, honestly, something I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about because we still have so far to go in fulfilling our mission. [But] I definitely expect to see myself working in this industry for the rest of my life.”
