The Road to Autonomy

Episode 332 | 99% of Autonomy's Impact Is Still Ahead of Us

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Sep 16, 2025
Qasar Younis, CEO of Applied Intuition, and Peter Ludwig, CTO, dive deep into the future of autonomy. They discuss the groundbreaking self-driving system (SDS) and how first-principles thinking drives their success. The duo highlights their recent partnerships, including a high-profile deal with Komatsu. They also unpack the software-led evolution in the automotive industry, touching on how legacy brands can adapt amid fierce competition and China's rapid advancements. Their insights shed light on building resilient infrastructures for tomorrow's vehicles.
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ANECDOTE

SDS Built Over Years, Aimed For Production

  • Peter explains SDS is an end-to-end product for Level 2 ADAS built from years of company work.
  • He stresses SDS is a significant investment they intend to take to production.
INSIGHT

China And Tesla Shift Timing For SDS

  • China’s production autonomy stack and Tesla's progress reshaped Applied's timing and product decisions.
  • Qasar says seeing production-grade systems in China inspired Applied to pursue SDS.
ADVICE

De-Risk By Prioritizing Engineering Over Research

  • Focus engineering on applied solutions rather than pure research to reduce deployment risk.
  • Qasar recommends first-principles thinking over copying competitors when designing product strategy.
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