Grit

#206 CEO & Founder Rivian, RJ Scaringe: Electrified

Sep 2, 2024

57:01

Snipd AI

RJ Scaringe, CEO and founder of Rivian, shares his journey of revolutionizing the automotive industry by making all cars electric. He candidly discusses the pressure of rapid growth, navigating the complexities of supply chains, and the monumental partnership with Volkswagen. Scaringe tackles skepticism around electric vehicles and highlights the impressive brand recognition Rivian has achieved. He also emphasizes the mental resilience needed for entrepreneurship, balancing innovation with financial realities, and the personal commitment to sustainability.

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Quick takeaways

RJ Scaringe emphasizes the importance of resilience in entrepreneurship, turning skepticism into motivation to innovate and prove critics wrong.

Financial challenges are significant in the automotive industry, requiring strategic planning and investment to overcome development hurdles for startups.

Vertical integration offers competitive advantages by enabling companies to control technology and production processes, leading to higher quality and innovation.

Deep dives

The Mindset for Building

A resilient mindset is crucial for anyone looking to create and scale a business, particularly in the face of skepticism and criticism. Embracing the notion that others may disagree with your vision fosters an environment where one can thrive despite negativity. This perspective encourages entrepreneurs to pursue their goals relentlessly, turning doubt into motivation to prove naysayers wrong. Ultimately, this approach leads to the establishment of innovative solutions, as individuals are driven by a desire to demonstrate their capabilities.

Intro

2min

Navigating the Automotive Startup Landscape

8min

Revolutionizing Automotive Manufacturing

6min

Challenging Perceptions: The Journey to Electric Truck and SUV Innovation

3min

Celebrating Rivian's Brand Recognition and Product Innovation

2min

Journey of Electrification

22min

The Trials of Entrepreneurship

14min

Guest: RJ Scaringe, CEO and Founder of Rivian

“I’m very comfortable with things not being in their end state,” says Rivian CEO and founder RJ Scaringe. The company’s challenging mission — to help make 100% of the world’s cars electric — will take a long time, and a lot of willingness to build the metaphorical plane in midair.

As Rivian has grown from one person to seven to 17,000, though, RJ admits that there’s a lot more pressure to not screw up. “There’s all these conflicting emotions I had ... is this the right product?” he recalls. “Is it the right strategy? Am I capable of doing this? But at the end of the day, I try really hard not to let that be overly distracting.”

Chapters:

(01:58) - Starting from scratch
(05:35) - Auto tech innovation
(08:03) - The supply chain
(09:52) - Rivian’s deal with Volkswagen
(14:28) - Outsourcing
(16:10) - Capable EVs
(19:06) - Brand and customer satisfaction
(21:05) - That nagging feeling
(27:26) - Raising capital
(31:31) - RJ’s father
(32:35) - The dark side of cars
(34:43) - Tesla’s influence
(37:13) - Financial challenges
(42:38) - Entrepreneurial mindset
(44:59) - Hard decisions
(46:46) - Don’t screw this up
(49:56) - 25,000 decisions a day
(52:16) - Daily routines
(54:57) - Who Rivian is hiring
(55:34) - What “grit” means to RJ

Mentioned in this episode: Porsche, Alex Honnold, Amazon AWS, Mercedes, Elon Musk, Lotus, U.S. News and World Report, MotorTrend, J.D. Power, Ford, Blue Origin, SpaceX, MIT, Jeff Bezos, and the Tesla Roadster.

Links:

Connect with RJ

Connect with Joubin

Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

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