Jake Dyson, Chief Engineer
“Our products should be magical, not only in the way they work, but in the way they look.”
Brief biography:
Jake Dyson is Chief Engineer at Dyson, where he is focused on core innovation, new product development, software connectivity and future technology.
Close connections:
Working closely with his father, Dyson’s founder James Dyson, Jake leads teams across the UK and Singapore to bring innovative new products to market and explain them through striking creative campaigns.
Jake sees a clear thread connecting Dyson products, and it all stems from curiosity:
“When we discover something interesting and unexpected in our research, we pursue it. As a company, we’re not bound to one product or category. We’re seduced into solving problems in other areas. If there’s a way we can leverage our technology to give people a new product, we’ll do it.”
Jake also follows a ‘less is more’ approach when it comes to design:
“The products and technologies we develop should be magical and fundamentally better than what went before. Not only in the way they work, but in the way they look. Minimalism and precision engineering are key to this. We make the product as small and lightweight as possible. The functionality is simple and pure. These are our core engineering principles, and you’ll see it across all Dyson products.”
Jake works closely with graduates and undergraduates from the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology.
His advice to young designers and engineers is unequivocal:
“Have conviction in your ideas and seek advice from those who have already gone through the creative and inventive process of bringing an idea to fruition.”
Before Dyson:
Jake joined Dyson having founded and run his own company, Jake Dyson Light, an acclaimed cutting-edge lighting business based in Clerkenwell, London, which was later acquired by Dyson.
“It was while working as an interior designer that I realised it’s actually lighting that creates an exciting space, and creates a dynamic within a space. One of the products that astounded me as being neglected was the up-lighter. This is how we should be lighting our homes using direct lights – not with spotlights on ceilings, but with up-lighting, because it’s far more soothing and far more relaxing.”
Jake observed that almost everything on the market was supposed to be hidden. No one was designing mechanical, functional features into their fixtures. He set up Jake Dyson Light, which allowed him to invent, manufacture and sell lighting products in his own name.
His first product was the Motorlight wall light and floor light.
Dissatisfied with traditional incandescent and halogen lighting technology, Jake made an early shift to LEDs and focused on extending their life and colour consistency. By adapting heat-pipe technology used on satellites – vacuum tubes with water droplets that rapidly transfer heat away from the source – Jake was able to extend the LED life to 40 years. Using this development, Jake developed the CSYS series of task lights and the Cu beam which is a suspended light with combined up and down lighting with full control to provide flexible lighting solutions.
Early life:
Jake’s passion for design and engineering was developed at a young age, having learnt key skills in his father’s workshop in Bathford, England. James recalls once unexpectedly finding Jake at work with a lathe, having never shown him how to use it. He had just learnt by trying it for himself.
Jake’s early years were formative:
“I watched Dad being a bit of a crazy inventor. He was mucking about with potato peelers, amphibious vehicles, boat trolleys... all sorts of ideas on our doorstep.”
Jake pursued his passion for design and engineering and studied Product Design at London’s Central Saint Martins. He later reflected:
“In my third year of college, everyone went from talking about Philippe Starck and Ross Lovegrove to talking about Dad. He was viewed as an inventor, engineer, designer, and manufacturing entrepreneur; I realised then how unique it was to be all those things together.”
Today:
Jake is still driven by his understanding that when things don’t work, you’ll get there in the end, and that it’s gritty determination that makes the difference:
“I think it’s a quality that anyone venturing into design needs and should be prepared to endure.”
Jake has been inventing and manufacturing products throughout his working life – it is in his DNA and what he enjoys spending his time doing, alongside Dyson’s engineers and scientists. With his father and the Dyson family, Jake takes a long-term view on Dyson’s innovation, products and strategy.
Photo credit: Laura Pannack
Jake was born in 1973 to James and Deirdre Dyson. He has one older sister, Emily, and one younger brother, Samuel. He has two children.
Frequently asked questions
Jake Dyson is Chief Engineer at Dyson. He leads innovation in core technology, new product development, software connectivity and future technology across Dyson’s global teams. Jake is the son of Dyson’s founder, James Dyson.
- Curiosity-Led Innovation: Jake believes innovation starts with curiosity. If Dyson’s research uncovers something interesting or unexpected, then it’s pursued, regardless of product category.
- Minimalism + Function: Jake believes “less is more.” Dyson products should be “magical”, not just in performance, but in looks. This philosophy means products are compact, lightweight, and occupy only as much space as needed. Functionality is intentionally pure and simple.
- Precision Engineering: Every detail matters. Minimalism and engineering excellence define the visual aesthetic across Dyson products.
- Learning from Failure: Jake values the willingness to fail, conviction in one’s ideas, and learning from others – the bedrock of great engineering.
Jake closely works with graduates and undergraduates at the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology.
He encourages:
- Being confident in original ideas.
- Seeking wisdom from experienced innovators.
- Interior Design + Lighting: Jake began his career as an interior designer. He realised lighting, especially up-lighting, created more ambience than conventional ceiling spotlights.
- Founder, Jake Dyson Light: Frustrated with the products on the market, Jake founded his own lighting business in Clerkenwell, London. His first launch was the halogen Motorlight wall light. Unsatisfied with existing bulbs, he pioneered using heat-pipe technology (borrowed from computers and satellites) to cool LEDs, enhancing their longevity and stability. His CSYS task light series resulted from this work.
- Invention: Jake has spent his life inventing and manufacturing products – it is in his DNA and something he spends every day doing.
- Family-inspired determination: Jake attributes this to growing up watching his father’s inventive experiments and maintains that gritty determination is essential for any design engineer creating inventions. This culture is of core importance to the long-term success of the business and the family’s values within it. Jake believes it is critical to maintain the values of the family as the business moves forward, even as operational dynamics evolve.
- Long-term perspective: Jake sees his role as being hands-on in his family’s business – valuing the ability to make decisions with a long-term future vision in mind, not just the present.
Jake Dyson was born in 1972 to James and Deirdre Dyson. He has two siblings – an older sister, Emily, and a younger brother, Sam. He has two children.