Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (ETL) Steve Cousins (Stanford University) - Real-World Robotics
Nov 19, 2025
Steve Cousins, executive director of the Stanford Robotics Center and founder of Relay Robotics, shares insights from his impressive career in robotics. He discusses the transition from research to real-world applications, focusing on how open-source robotics accelerated innovation. Cousins emphasizes the importance of targeted hiring and the challenges of introducing service robots in hotels. He also highlights the potential of senior care robotics and the need for integrating AI into existing systems, making a compelling case for the evolving landscape of robotics.
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Hire Interns Who Could Become Your Future Colleagues
- Steve Cousins hired an outstanding intern at Washington University and paid him well to keep him returning for breaks.
- That intern later became a leader who Steve ended up working for, illustrating long-term hiring consequences.
Early Contributors Can Seed Big Futures
- Scott Hassan moved to Stanford, worked as a programmer and helped build the first Google crawler as a student contributor.
- His entrepreneurial path inspired Steve and showed how early technical work can lead to startup investing and influence.
Assess Moral Flexibility Before Leading
- Consider whether you have the moral flexibility required before taking a CEO role.
- Steve Cousins learned this question from a manager who cautioned about the ethical demands of being a CEO.