Smart Friends #101 Tesla War Stories, Self-Driving at Waymo, and Building the Salesforce of BOM (Spencer Penn of LightSource)
Feb 3, 2026
Spencer Penn, a founder and former engineer at Tesla and Waymo now leading LightSource, shares war stories from rapid Tesla development and contrasts Tesla’s speed culture with Waymo’s methodical autonomy work. He recounts Model 3 production chaos, insights on self-driving subsystems, and why he started an AI-native procurement company to fix long-ignored BOM problems.
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Joining Tesla Against Advice
- Spencer Penn joined Tesla early despite warnings it was a career mistake because he loved the product and its environmental impact.
- He learned that mission-driven products must first be great products to achieve social impact.
China's EV Rise Mirrors Intense Crafting
- Spencer compares the Beatles' intense practice to the fierce competition driving rapid EV improvement in China.
- He sees Chinese OEMs' manufacturing pressure producing high-value EVs quickly and at low cost.
Model 3 Production Hell Experience
- Spencer calls the Model 3 ramp "the most fun I never want to have again" due to intense responsibility and turnover.
- He valued early career visibility and the industry network formed by employees spreading into other companies.
