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The most transformative ventures begin with a simple question: “What if?”
It’s from these seeds of curiosity that audacious dreams take root in unlikely places—a bedroom filled with engine parts, a mind filled with questions about our environmental future, and an unwavering belief that transportation itself could be reinvented.
My guest today is RJ Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian. A mechanical engineer with a PhD from MIT’s Sloan Automotive Laboratory, RJ has dedicated himself to revolutionizing sustainable transportation. As the mastermind behind Rivian’s transformation from a three-person startup to a $22 billion company in 2023, he’s pioneering electric vehicles that combine groundbreaking technology with adventure-ready capability. Under his leadership, Rivian has secured partnerships with Amazon, delivering on their 100,000-vehicle order, while the R1T pickup earned MotorTrend’s Truck of the Year.
“Rivian is a manifestation of a ton of teamwork. I want to make a place that 50 years later will inspire kids to dream big.”
– RJ SCARINGE
Today, we discuss:
- From Bedroom Tinkerer to Automotive Revolutionary
- Extreme Optimism Meets Robust Realism
- Supply Chain Survival During COVID
- The Power of Calm Amid Chaos
- Building a Carbon-Neutral Transportation Future
For those who prefer a visual experience, the conversation is available on YouTube. As always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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- RJ Scaringe: Website | Instagram | X | YouTube
- Rivian: Stories
- YouTube: Our Only Home | RJ Scaringe on Climate | Rivian
- YouTube: A Tour of the Rivian Plant | Go behind the scenes with founder RJ Scaringe
- YouTube: Rivian CEO, RJ Scaringe, talks R1S and the Future of Rivian
- Yale: Electric vehicles use half the energy of gas-powered vehicles
- GQ: Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe on Ignoring Musk and Learning from Bezos
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Thank The Team: I do not do this alone. Send your love to Jason Camiolo for audio engineering, production, show notes and interstitial music; with additional audio engineering by Cale Curtis and additional music by Moby; Dan Drake & Morgan McCrae for video, & editing; graphics by graphics by Alejandro Ribadeneira & Bryan Lawrence; portraits by Davy Greenberg; copywriting by Ben Pryor; and theme music by Tyler Piatt, Trapper Piatt & Hari Mathis.
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