Stanford Seminar - Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government: Applied Intuition’s Qasar Younis

Applied Intuition

• Applied Intuition is a tier-one software supplier transforming the auto industry with high growth and high profitability.
• The company has three main business lines: tools for building autonomous systems, software testing on vehicles, and an onboard software platform for vehicles.
• Applied Intuition's autonomy division specifically focuses on off-road autonomy for defense purposes, supplying existing and new primes, as well as the US government and its subgroups.
• The company recruits exclusively from Stanford, MIT, and Berkeley and believes that the vehicle manufacturers will play a significant role in the future of autonomous vehicles.

US-China-Russia Competition

• The US is in great power competition with China and Russia, and needs to cooperate where possible and compete where necessary.
• The technology needed to compete in today's world is coming from the commercial sector, not government directives.
• To be effective, the government needs to be able to identify, adopt, and deploy commercial technologies at speed and scale.
• Silicon Valley and the government need to work closely together to ensure the US prevails in this competition.

Career Paths

• The speaker discusses the spectrum of career paths, from established corporations to startups.
• In large corporations, individuals may feel like cogs in a system with limited autonomy and decision-making power.
• On the other end of the spectrum, entrepreneurs in startups face uncertainty and risk but have more control and potential for wealth accumulation.
• The speaker's personal journey led them to startups due to financial reasons and a desire for autonomy.
• YC (Y Combinator) is seen as a prestigious brand in the startup world, but some founders may be attracted to it for superficial reasons rather than a genuine interest in entrepreneurship.
• YC provides an accessible on-ramp for founders who may not have traditional connections or vetting, helping them focus, prepare for demo day, and create a sense of urgency.
• Counterintuitively, many YC founders struggle with consistent recruiting, which involves understanding the specific skills and experiences needed for their specialized teams.
• Founders need to develop a strong "recruiting muscle" to compete with other startups in the Bay Area.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of well-roundedness in founders, as they need a combination of technical skills, business acumen, and leadership abilities to succeed.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of well-roundedness and experience for founders, as they need to have a comprehensive understanding of various functions within a company, such as marketing, people operations, sales, engineering, product, and design.
• The speaker highlights the challenge of recruiting senior-level employees when you're a young founder, as they may be hesitant to join a company led by someone with limited experience.

Culture and Values

• The company's operating principles, or values, are infused into all aspects of the day-to-day work, from recruiting to compensation and promotion.
• Speed is a core value for the speaker's company, and they maintain it by having clear focus, clear ownership at the lowest level possible, and by avoiding unnecessary leadership check-offs and isolation of information.
• The speaker believes that values should be sharp and specific, and that companies should regularly assess whether they are living up to their values.
• Establishing culture in a company involves taking action and making decisions. Waiting for approval or reviews can be costly and inefficient.
• The company focuses on hiring smart people and values cognitive ability. They don't make excuses for not hiring intelligent individuals.

Dual-Use Companies

• Dual-use companies, like Applied, that operate in both commercial and defense sectors, can strengthen their commercial capabilities while also contributing to national security.
• Applied uses its commercial success to subsidize its defense work, which is a sustainable and effective approach.
• Some companies avoid defense work due to the complexity of the procurement system, while others find it lucrative but risk becoming inefficient and resembling the old companies they aim to replace.
• Entering the defense sector requires understanding the unique channel and investing time and effort to navigate the system.
• Creating a great dual-use company is possible and more powerful than focusing solely on commercial or defense work.

Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

• Lethal autonomous weapon systems are a topic of debate, with some arguing that they should not be used and others arguing that they are necessary to protect troops.
• The speaker believes that the capability to develop lethal autonomous weapon systems is necessary, but that policy debates should be held to determine when and how they should be used.

Government and Technology

• The US needs to improve its software-driven defense infrastructure to compete with adversaries who have centralized resources and strong public-private partnerships.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of leveraging commercially available technologies for specific problems without the need for owning intellectual property or networks.
• The speaker highlights the benefits of the privately-owned system in the United States, where individuals have more freedom and opportunities compared to government-controlled systems.