Nir Eyal
Born 1980 · Age 45
Israeli-born American author, lecturer, consultant, and investor focused on behavioral design and habit-forming products; author of Hooked (2014) and Indistractable (2019).
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Life & Career Timeline
Family immigrated to the United States
At age three, his family moved to the United States and settled in a suburb of Orlando, Florida.
Graduated Emory University (B.A.)
Earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University.
Joined Boston Consulting Group
Worked at the Boston Consulting Group after graduating from Emory (start of consulting career).
Co-founded first tech ventures (Sunshine Business Development, AdNectar)
Began co-founding technology companies (sources list Sunshine Business Development, LLC and AdNectar, Inc. as past ventures); he has said he co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003.
Started a solar panel company
Founded/started a solar-panel company (mentioned as an entrepreneurial step taken after BCG and before graduate school).
Post-Business roles and entrepreneurship period
Ongoing entrepreneurial activity and company-building in the mid-2000s prior to graduate study (continuation of co-founding/selling startups).
Graduated Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA)
Completed an MBA at Stanford University (Stanford GSB).
Co-founded ad company with Stanford classmates (CEO)
After graduating from Stanford, he and fellow students founded a company that placed online ads in Facebook; Eyal served as CEO. (This work sparked his interest in user psychology.)
Shifted to product design consulting
Moved from running startups to consulting in product design, focusing on how product psychology shapes user behavior.
Taught product design course at Stanford School of Engineering
Taught a course in product design in the Stanford University School of Engineering program (explicitly cited in sources as 2012).
Lecturer at Stanford GSB and d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design)
Served as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and taught at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) at Stanford (dates described as previous/ongoing in bios).
Published Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
Released his first book, Hooked, which lays out the 'Hook Model' for building habit-forming products.
Hooked became a Wall Street Journal bestseller
Hooked earned placement on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
Published HBR article: 'How Customers Get Hooked on Products'
Opinion/educational piece published in Harvard Business Review about product habit formation (source lists Nov 12, 2014).
Published pieces in Psychology Today and other outlets
Contributed essays and articles to Psychology Today and other mainstream outlets on behavioral design and technology.
Published Atlantic piece: 'Should Companies Stop People From Getting Hooked'
Wrote on ethical questions around habit-forming technologies for The Atlantic (source date Aug 31, 2016).
Profiled for behavioral design and attention research
Featured in media pieces (e.g., Fast Company interviews and profiles) as a behavioral designer giving 'top brain hacks' and related advice.
Indistractable: awards and critical recognition
Indistractable received multiple accolades: Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award; Audible top 5 personal development; Amazon top 20 business & leadership; Goodreads Science & Technology finalist (2019).
Argued publicly against broad regulation of habit-forming tech
Publicly argued that over-broad regulation of habit-forming technologies is misplaced, emphasizing personal responsibility (reported across multiple outlets in 2019).
Participated in public debate about Big Tech and addiction (Vox/ Ezra Klein)
Appeared in a public debate/discussion about whether Big Tech is addictive (Vox, Aug 7, 2019).
Published Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
Second book, co-written with Julie Li, published in September 2019 focusing on managing attention and resisting distraction.
Featured in COVID-19 / attention and tech debates and advice
Published and commented widely in 2020 on attention, home-working, homeschooling, and technology use during the pandemic across outlets and interviews.
Published New York Times op-ed on homeschooling during COVID-19
Wrote 'Home-Schooling Tweens and Teens During Coronavirus Closings' for The New York Times (March 12, 2020).
Ongoing keynote speaking, teaching, and consulting
Continued to speak, consult, teach, and publish on behavioral design, habit formation, and attention management (ongoing role in product/tech community).
Self-description: author, speaker, and investor
Public bios in 2025 describe Nir Eyal as an author, speaker, behavioral design consultant, and investor working with companies and product teams.
Books translated into 30+ languages
By 2025 his books had reportedly been translated into over 30 languages (per his bio/profile).
Investments in multiple notable tech companies (public list)
Listed investments include Eventbrite (NYSE:EB), Anchor.fm (acquired by Spotify), Kahoot!, Canva, Homelight, Product Hunt, Marco Polo, Byte Foods, FocusMate, Dynamicare, Wise App, and Sunnyside (per his official bio).
Continued consulting and keynote work
Active as a consultant advising companies on behavioral design and habit-forming products and as a keynote speaker on attention and product design.
Maintains weekly behavioral design newsletter
Runs a weekly newsletter read by product professionals, said to be read by people at Google, Netflix, and Amplitude (profiled in 2025).
Recognized by media (MIT Tech Review & Bloomberg Businessweek)
Cited in bios/profileing materials as being dubbed 'The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology' by MIT Technology Review and described as 'the habits guy' by Bloomberg Businessweek.
Profiled: 'Who is Nir Eyal' (Userpilot) and summary of career
Userpilot profile (March 26, 2025) summarized his career: dubbed 'The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology' by MIT Tech Review; co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003; books sold over 1 million copies and translated into over 30 languages.
Key Achievement Ages
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