Why I Moved from Rail to Autonomy

What if AI fit the way frontline workers actually do their jobs, instead of forcing them to fit the tools? In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with portfolio founder Zacharie Esmili, Co-Founder & CEO of Quintess AI, a voice AI platform built for maintenance technicians and the managers who support them. Before starting Quintess AI, Zach spent nearly a decade at RATP Dev, working on rail maintenance and operations for the Paris Metro and projects across South Africa, Algeria, and China. He then moved into autonomy and robotics, helping scale technical operations and fleets at Cruise, working on autonomous farming robots at Burro, and supporting GenAI builders at Axflow. Along the way, he came to see maintenance as “healthcare for equipment” and spotted a big gap: technicians with greasy hands and heavy tools are still expected to type structured notes into clunky systems that were never designed for how they work. In this conversation, Zach shares: What global rail and fleet projects taught him about building systems that last decades How his time at Cruise and Burro shaped his view of AI in the physical world Why voice AI is a natural fit for maintenance and repair workflows How Quintess helps technicians capture better notes and managers see what is really happening on the ground The realities of selling AI into traditional industrial enterprises How his leadership style evolved from managing blue collar teams at twenty four to running a venture-backed startup Why determination and a clear vision matter more than chasing the latest AI trend It is a candid look at applying AI beyond screens and keyboards, from a first builder who has spent his career at the intersection of rail, robotics, and the real world. FOLLOW ZACHARY ESMILI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharie-esmili/ Quintess AI: https://quintess.ai FOLLOW THE COUNCIL & FIRST BUILDERS Newsletter YouTube: @firstbuilderspod Instagram: @thecouncilcapital Twitter/X: @first_builders_ TikTok: @firstbuilderspod LinkedIn: The Council Chapters 00:00:00 Opening: From Paris Metro to AI Founder 00:01:09 Global Rail Operations and Learning to Adapt 00:02:15 The Leap to Autonomous Vehicles 00:03:37 Startup Life: From Seed to Scale 00:06:18 Technical Operations at Cruise 00:07:43 The Spark for Quintess AI 00:10:45 Voice AI for the Physical World 00:11:16 Enterprise AI Adoption Challenges 00:16:58 The Daily Life of Maintenance Workers 00:20:37 Healthcare for Equipment 00:23:34 Leadership Evolution Across Industries 00:30:01 Rapid Fire Playbook and Closing