Q&A with VIVIANE
You’re working on exciting tech. Tell us about it.
I'm currently working at a self driving car start-up in San Francisco. We're building the Android for level two systems in cars. We have an open source driving agent that runs on a handful of supported cars and we have hundreds of daily active users uploading the data back to us. Each day the system gets better
How how much have you raised?
We have raised around 8 million.
What’s challenging at work right now?
Recruiting is a problem for all companies and comma is no exception. At comma, engineers are their own teams which means that they have a lot of responsibility. On the flip side, however, there is no overhead management. So finding engineers that are advanced in their careers but would still rather code and ship than to manage has proven to be difficult.
What were you hoping to achieve at Skypad?
I went to Skypad with the hope of rethinking our recruiting strategy.
“To be in an entirely new space where everyone was able to set aside distractions and eliminate the train of thought that plagues them at work was inspiring and productive.”
What kind of people did you meet?
I was very lucky with my Skypad group. I met four entrepreneurs who were all in various industries. The brainstorming sessions in the evening were some of the most useful sessions that I've had. When people schedule meetings to brainstorm, nothing productive gets done. People are distracted by their emails or their next meetings (meetings are the death of productivity, I'm sure we've all experienced this by now). So to be in an entirely new space where everyone was able to set aside distractions and eliminate the train of thought that plagues them at work was inspiring and productive.
What was your biggest takeaway from your stay at Skypad?
Do things differently. Routine is important for people to stay focused but it can also drain all fun and spontaneity out of situations. And often, the best ideas arise out of spontaneity. So cancel all meetings that are not imperative and don't be afraid to change the way you work.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Skypad was a nice reset and I came back to work motivated to implement what I had worked on. Whether or not it will be a success is still unclear but the mental space that was freed when I thought through this problem that was on my mind for awhile was a major relief.
