Tech companies that make connected devices like FitBits and Nest thermostats are in an plum position. They rake in revenue every time someone buys their product, leaving the freeloaders to Facebook and Twitter. But the real prize isn't the cost of the device, it's your personal data.

The Mountain View-based* software company Jasper got a valuation of more than $1 billion to usher in the Internet of Things. So many kinds of things, like "autos, baby pajamas, airplane engines and so on."