Qasar Younis, CEO of Applied Intuition, shares insights on entrepreneurship, diverse reading, and radical pragmatism in building organizations. He reflects on success, motivations, and the future of autonomous vehicles, emphasizing company values and mission in advancing safe and intelligent machines.
Successful entrepreneurship is not limited by age but by readiness and understanding multiple business facets.
Learning and network opportunities in high-growth companies are valuable for acquiring necessary skills and patterns for entrepreneurship.
Deep dives
Kazur's Background and Entrepreneurial Journey
Kazur Eunice, co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition, shares a comprehensive journey from his mechanical engineering roots at Kettering University to significant roles in automotive engineering, business, and entrepreneurship. Having worked at Google and Y Combinator, his experience spans various sectors, leading to the founding of Applied Intuition, focusing on software solutions for transitioning to next-gen vehicles.
Misconceptions About Entrepreneurship and Timing
Kazur debunks misconceptions surrounding entrepreneurship, emphasizing the significance of experience and depth in one's field. He highlights the role of timing and personal readiness, citing the example of median age among Y Combinator-funded founders being 30, emphasizing that successful entrepreneurship is not limited by age but by readiness and understanding multiple business facets.
Balancing Learning in a Startup versus Established Companies
Discussing the spectrum between founding a startup and working at established companies like Google, Kazur stresses the value of learning and network opportunities in high-growth companies to acquire skills and patterns necessary for entrepreneurship. He underlines the importance of understanding human behavior, varied skill sets, and resilience while navigating career decisions.
Autonomous Vehicle Technology and Future Trends
Kazur delves into the current landscape of autonomous vehicle technology, contrasting approaches like Tesla's and Waymo's. He highlights the transition from R&D to engineering challenges in achieving cost-effective full automation. Kazur shares insights on safety-focused objectives, predicts a gradual adoption timeline, and discusses the future impact on freedom and potential surveillance concerns in autonomous driving.
Qasar Younis is the co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition, which creates software solutions to help automakers, Tier 1 suppliers, and companies in the trucking, construction, and agriculture industries transition to next-generation vehicles. Before founding Applied Intuition, Younis was a partner and COO of Y Combinator. In this conversation with Stanford adjunct lecturer Ravi Belani, Younis gives practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially students, and shares insights he’s gathered from his experience as an investor and founder.
—-----------------------------------
Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. At STVP, we empower aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://ecorner.stanford.edu/give.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode