If I ran Waymo, I would hire Anthony Levandowski | George Hotz and Lex Fridman

TL;DR

George suggests that Anthony Levandowski should be put in charge of Waymo because he believes Levandowski is a genius with innovative ideas that could potentially save the company.

Transcript

okay so let's try let's like really try this experiment if you ran way more let's say they're i don't know if you agree but they seem to be at the head of the pack of the kind of uh what would you call that approach like it's not necessarily lighter based because it's not about lighter but before roman tax level four robot taxi all in before any be... Read More

Key Insights

• 💡 George believes Anthony Levandowski is a genius and would bring better ideas to Waymo.
• 🤔 Levandowski's renegade thinking could push aside bureaucracy and lead to innovative solutions.
• ✋ Waymo's debt of $10 billion is a significant challenge that requires a high-risk idea to save the company.
• 🫠 George criticizes Waymo's early adoption of "corny" ad campaigns and suggests they should showcase their engineering and be more renegade, like SpaceX.
• 🥺 There is a need for a CEO with a renegade mindset to lead Waymo, but George believes the current leadership is not suitable for the role.
• 🤪 Waymo's lack of a minimum viable product and pre-revenue status goes against traditional Silicon Valley principles.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why does George think Anthony Levandowski should run Waymo?

George believes Levandowski is a genius and thinks he would have better ideas for the company. He sees Levandowski as a renegade thinker who can bring innovative solutions.

Q: Does George think Levandowski is a good person?

George does not make moral judgments. He cannot speak for Levandowski's character. His belief in Levandowski's abilities is unrelated to his personal opinion of Levandowski as a person.

Q: What is the problem with putting George in charge of Waymo?

Waymo is already in debt with $10 billion, and George doesn't have an idea that could save the company. He sees the need for a high-risk idea, and believes Levandowski is the best person to come up with it.

Q: What criticism does George have for Waymo?

George thinks Waymo went into a "corny mode" too early with their ad campaigns. He believes they should focus on showcasing their engineering and being more renegade, similar to SpaceX.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• George believes that Anthony Levandowski should lead Waymo because he thinks Levandowski is a genius with better ideas for the company.

• He sees Levandowski as a renegade thinker who can push aside bureaucracy and use first principle thinking.

• George admits that he doesn't make moral judgments and cannot speak for Levandowski as a person, but believes that Levandowski has the potential to come up with a groundbreaking solution for Waymo's challenges.