Austin Russell (with will.i.am): From dropout to billionaire | Masters of Scale
About Austin
Founded Luminar Technologies at age 17, pioneering next-gen automotive lidar systems.
World's youngest self-made billionaire at 25 in 2020 after Luminar's SPAC IPO.
Secured major partnerships with Volvo and Mercedes for advanced driver assistance.
Recipient of the Thiel Fellowship, awarded $100K for entrepreneurship.
Recognized for a mission to save 100M lives via automotive safety innovation.
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Austin Russell, the founder and CEO of Luminar Technologies, shares his journey in becoming a leader in light/radar technology (LiDAR) for the automotive industry in an interview with will.i.am (entrepreneur and frontman of the Black Eyed Peas). Founding Luminar at the age of 17 in 2012, Austin set out to create the next generation of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to enhance driving safety and reduce accidents. Luminar’s mission is ambitious, aiming to save 100 million lives and 100 trillion hours over the next century. Austin shares the challenges he faced in his entrepreneurial journey, including his decision to drop out of Stanford University to focus on scaling Luminar. The conversation also touches on the lidar versus camera debate and the complexities of competing with Elon Musk and Tesla, offering valuable insights into the future of automotive technology.
Note: This interview took place in October, 2023 prior to Austin Russell’s bid to buy Forbes fell through.
