How did Simone Giertz start her engineering career without a formal engineering background?

Simone Giertz, after studying advertising, realized her passion was building and programming. She created an iPhone case with retractable guitar strings and used this self-initiated project to secure a one-year internship at Punch Through Design, where she learned electronics on the job.

What is the philosophy behind Simone Giertz's 'shitty robots'?

The 'shitty robots' concept allowed Simone to happily fail and overcome perfectionism, focusing on making things that looked funny rather than perfectly functional. She also noted that making things 'shitty' in a spectacular way is its own skill, as the worst robots don't even turn on.

What challenges did Simone Giertz face when building the bubble wrap music box?

The bubble wrap music box was one of Simone's most complex projects. Key challenges included precisely feeding the bubble wrap sheet to ensure proper alignment for popping, designing the barrel with 'baby feet' to pop specific bubbles, and finding the right squishy materials to maximize pop reliability by preventing air from escaping between bubbles.

Why did Simone Giertz drop out of physics college and what did she learn?

Simone Giertz dropped out of physics after a year because she realized she was there to prove her intelligence, not out of true passion for the subject. She learned the importance of context in a career, advising people to seek jobs they genuinely enjoy and environments where their unique strengths are valued.

How did Simone Giertz's brain tumor diagnosis affect her life and business?

Her diagnosis in 2018, followed by surgery and radiation, fast-tracked a loss of youthful innocence and prompted a redefinition of 'being good' from pushing hard to listening to her body. Personally, she grieved not having had children yet. Professionally, it highlighted the fragility of her influencer-based business, motivating her to diversify into product design.

What was the inspiration behind the Everyday Calendar, and what did she learn from its mass production?

The Everyday Calendar was born from Simone's desire for a physical, aesthetic 'accountability art' piece to track habits like meditation, rather than a notebook. Mass manufacturing taught her the vast difference between making a prototype and making thousands, emphasizing the critical role of quality control, managing timelines, and the high financial risks involved.

How does Simone Giertz integrate her YouTube channel with her product design company, Yetch?

Simone uses her YouTube channel as an R&D department and audience testing ground, constantly exploring new ideas. If a project shows promise, it is passed to Yetch for product development. Once ready, the YouTube channel serves as a marketing platform, creating a synergistic business model separate from her personal brand.

What was the biggest challenge in converting a Tesla Model 3 into a pickup truck (Truckla)?

The main challenge was working outside her usual realm of expertise, as car modification is very different from her typical robot builds. Ensuring safety was paramount, leading to a year of planning and working with a large team of specialists, as any failures could have severe consequences.

What are Simone Giertz's thoughts on AI chatbots and their potential dangers?

Simone Giertz finds chatbots exciting for their potential as virtual assistants but is wary of their power. She believes society isn't ready for advanced AI, citing how internet algorithms already radicalize people and fears that AI could further manipulate worldviews or be used for harmful purposes, especially given humans' impressionability.

Simone Giertz: Queen of Sh*tty Robots, Innovative Engineering, and Design | Lex Fridman Podcast #372

Lex Fridman

Science & Technology4 min read120 min video

Apr 16, 2023|368,747 views|8,598|860

TED talk agi ai ai podcast artificial intelligence artificial intelligence podcast consciousness engineering lex ai lex fridman lex jre lex mit

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Simone Giertz discusses her journey from "shitty robots" to product design, embracing failure, and finding joy in creation.

Key Insights

Simone Giertz's creative process involves identifying everyday problems and solving them in unique, often humorous, ways, initially through "shitty robots" and now through well-designed products.

Embracing failure and imperfection has been a crucial tool for Giertz, allowing her to overcome perfectionism and learn effectively, especially in her early projects.

Her "shitty robots" moniker, initially from Reddit, evolved into a brand that highlights her humor, engineering skills, and ability to make complex ideas accessible.

Transitioning from YouTube content creation to product design with her company, Yetch, involves navigating new challenges like mass manufacturing, quality control, and business management.

Giertz's personal journey, including a brain tumor diagnosis, profoundly impacted her perspective, fostering self-compassion, a refined definition of success, and a greater appreciation for life and human connection.

She believes enthusiasm is a more potent fuel than duty, advocating for pursuing passions that bring joy and recognizing that what comes easily and with momentum can be highly important.

THE EVOLUTION OF CREATION AND THE JOY OF MAKING

Simone Giertz, known for her "shitty robots," shares her journey from building things that humorously didn't work to more refined product design. She emphasizes that her love for building grew as her skills improved, finding immense satisfaction in the process of creation. The initial frustration of limitations was gradually replaced by a deep sense of pride in bringing ideas to life, a feeling she aims to share with her audience. From early woodworking projects to complex electronics, her drive stems from wanting to show others something she's made, a sentiment that has guided her career.

EMBRACING IMPERFECTION AND THE POWER OF 'SHITTY ROBOTS'

Giertz's early work gained traction on platforms like Reddit under the "shitty robots" moniker, a label she happily adopted. This approach allowed her to bypass perfectionism, making it easier to start projects and encouraging experimentation. The "shitty robots" served as a powerful tool for learning and engagement, turning failures into something watchable and even endearing. This philosophy of happily failing has been central to her career, enabling her to explore ideas without the pressure of immediate success and to connect with an audience through relatable imperfections.

TRANSITIONING TO PRODUCT DESIGN AND BUSINESS

Giertz has expanded her endeavors into product design with her company, Yetch. This transition involves a new set of challenges, moving from one-off creations to mass manufacturing. Key learnings include the complexities of tooling, quality control, and supply chain management, contrasting sharply with the ease of making a single prototype. She navigates the risks of self-investment and the potential for disappointing customers at scale, yet finds fulfillment in developing novel solutions to everyday problems, like the "Everyday Calendar" and her "incomplete puzzle."

PERSONAL JOURNEY AND RESILIENCE

A significant turning point in Giertz's life was her diagnosis and subsequent treatment for a brain tumor. This experience profoundly shifted her perspective, fostering self-compassion, a redefinition of success, and a greater appreciation for life and human connection. She learned to listen to her body, redefine what it means to be 'good' beyond relentless hard work, and experienced the fragility of relying solely on her presence for her business. The recovery process, though challenging, highlighted the body's resilience and her own adaptability.

THE MEANING OF SUCCESS AND HUMAN CONNECTION

Giertz emphasizes that true success isn't solely defined by external metrics like follower counts or revenue, but by personal pride in her projects and the freedom to control her own time. She advocates for prioritizing enthusiasm over duty, learning to see that what is enjoyable can indeed be important work. Her current focus includes building community and finding joy in shared experiences, like "hanging out in sweatpants" or working on joint goals. This desire for connection and shared purpose drives her to create things that resonate with others.

INSIGHTS ON TECHNOLOGY, ROBOTICS, AND THE FUTURE

Reflecting on robots, Giertz notes that while she doesn't necessarily anthropomorphize them due to understanding their mechanics, she appreciates how humans project feelings onto them. She views powerful technologies like AI and advanced language models with cautious optimism, recognizing their potential for both great good and significant manipulation. Her work in robotics, while often humorous, touches on profound themes of human-technology interaction, the ethics of automation, and the inherent creativity humans possess, even in destructive applications, urging a thoughtful approach to our technological future.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Products

●Software & Apps

●Companies

●People Referenced

Common Questions

The 'Proud Parent Machine' originated from a long-running joke between Simone Giertz and her friend Daniel Beauchamp. It's a motorized arm that pats you on the shoulder and says, 'Proud of you son,' after you insert a quarter, designed to be a humorous commentary on parental relationships.

Topics

Mental Health & Psychology Mindset & Self-Improvement Technology & Innovation Robotics Engineering Brain Tumor Recovery Habit Tracking

Mentioned in this video

toolApple

Company cited by Lex Fridman as famous for prioritizing design first, even if it means higher costs, to maintain product magic.

personAlexander Gustafsson

Swedish MMA fighter whom Simone Giertz was supposed to interview, but she was kicked out for asking a blacklisted question about his past violent crimes.

toolArduino

Microcontroller boards Simone Giertz used in her early engineering projects, like the iPhone case with guitar strings and the toothbrush helmet.

productTesla Model 3

The electric car Simone Giertz famously converted into a pickup truck, a project she called 'Truckla'.

personMr. Beast

A YouTuber who Lex Fridman compares to Simone Giertz, noting how creators build trust and reputation through engaging content.

personElon Musk

Mentioned by Lex Fridman for his genius in systematically questioning existing methods to find the lowest cost solutions for products, exemplified by the Optimus robot.

productFord F-150

A popular pickup truck model, mentioned as a larger alternative to Simone Giertz's custom 'Truckla'.

productAmazon Echo

Smart speaker that Simone Giertz removed from her home because it freaked her out that it could hear her whispers, raising concerns about privacy and technology.

personKurt Vonnegut

Author whose quote about 'jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down' concludes the podcast episode.

toolReddit

Social media platform where Simone Giertz first posted her 'shitty robot' GIFs, contributing to her early fame.

companyRivian

Electric vehicle manufacturer, mentioned in comparison to Simone Giertz's 'Truckla' as producing larger electric pickup trucks.

companyYetch

Simone Giertz's new product design company, focused on creating innovative solutions to everyday problems.

companyPunch Through Design

An SF engineering firm where Simone Giertz did a one-year internship, getting paid to learn about electronics after building her first hardware project.

personDaniel Beauchamp

Friend with whom Simone Giertz developed the 'Proud Parent Machine' as a long-running joke.

toolSpotify

Music streaming service mentioned in the context of voice commands to Amazon Echo.

tooliPhone

The smartphone Simone Giertz built a case for, which included retractable guitar strings and an app she programmed.

personJony Ive

Former Chief Design Officer at Apple, known for his design-first approach to products, which Simone Giertz aligns with in her own work.

toolChatGPT

Large language model mentioned humorously as a potential addition to the 'Proud Parent Machine' to fine-tune parent-child conversations.

toolYouTube

Platform where Simone Giertz gained popularity for her 'shitty robots' and where she now uses her channel as an R&D and marketing tool for her product business.

eventTED Talk

The platform where Simone Giertz presented some of her projects, including a shoulder rig, and revealed her brain tumor diagnosis shortly after.

softwareKickstarter

The crowdfunding platform Simone Giertz used to launch her 'Everyday Calendar' in 2018, noting the delays and challenges of manufacturing.

personJon Jones

MMA fighter Alexander Gustafsson was scheduled to fight, as mentioned in the context of Simone Giertz's journalism career.

mediaLex Fridman Podcast

The podcast hosting the conversation with Simone Giertz.

productMeArm

An acrylic robot arm kit that Simone Giertz used as the base for her toothbrush helmet, controlled by an Arduino and three servo motors.

toolOptimus

Tesla's humanoid robot, cited as an example of effectively reducing manufacturing costs through systematic questioning.

personMel Gibson

Actor who Simone Giertz's mother also got kicked out of an interview with, creating a funny generational parallel.

mediaThe Office (British TV series)

A British comedy series mentioned by Lex Fridman in reference to an actor covering a song related to Simone Giertz's last name.

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