The privacy problem is much deeper than this device. The reason we have to scream privacy for every new product is that the cloud services providing the functionality for all these devices have been shown over and over to disregard and actively abuse our privacy. Until our networks and ISPs and cloud data companies support anonymous encrypted data and services, we simply cannot trust these types of devices.
I just can't install apps anymore. They all want everything. There is no reason for a todo list app to need my location, sms, camera, etc, etc... This needs to be fixed.
For me the best line was "You can have the best, most comprehensive test suite in the world, but tests are still different from production.". Getting the business logic working is often the easy part of distributed apps in production environments with real users and unexpected data.
In my experience, a group chat like XMPP MUC or IRC is essential for a team especially with remote developers to stay in the loop, feel connected, keep moral up, and get most of the benefits of the war room while still remaining async so you don't stress out your introverted developers.