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Adam Wilson
Adam Wilson
00:57

Adam Wilson

Sphero

Boulder, CO USA

"We chose fun, and then we emphasized it in everything that we did."

Career Roadmap

Adam's work combines: Engineering, Technology, and Building Things

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Day In The Life

Co-founder / Chief Software Architect

I'm a total robot junkie in the R&D department of Sphero where I concept, print, mold, cast and design hardware devices.

My Day to Day

My day is typically spent doing a lot of prototyping and experimenting with new hardware devices, product designs, and apps. I develop and manage Android/iPhone/Windows 7 Phone Applications that blend with our proprietary hardware to create a real-world interface to your smartphone. I work to make sure that all products and marketing are in line with the Sphero brand and mission.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

While I was still trying to figure things out, I worked a day job constructing houses just so I could keep building things, but every night, I went home and studied physics. Eventually, I realized I was burning myself out and wasn't happy, so I quit my day job and went back to school in order to focus more on what I was interested in. It was there that I met Ian and we laid the groundwork for Sphero.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Mathematics, General

    University of Northern Colorado

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Physics, General

    University of Northern Colorado

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life took a while to figure out

  • 1.

    Says that because he didn’t grow up with much money, he developed a fascination with taking things apart and trying to build new things with the pieces.

  • 2.

    From there, the natural transition was to learn code, which was essentially an extension of his penchant for building things.

  • 3.

    One summer, he went and lived with a relative who wrote software for airplanes.

  • 4.

    To satisfy his propensity for building things, he worked a day job constructing houses, but every night, he went home and studied physics.

  • 5.

    Eventually, he couldn’t keep up the two lives he was living, so he quit his day job and went back to school, where he met his Sphero co-founder, Ian Bernstein.

  • 6.

    The two came up with hundreds of ideas for robotics that could be controlled by phone, but ultimately, they chose to produce the Sphero robot; Adam says, “we chose to have fun.”

  • 7.

    At one of the competitions that they entered, they won a mentorship by Disney CEO Bob Iger; Iger showed them the prototype for Star Wars’ BB-8 and asked them to develop the robot.

  • 8.

    Says the most uncomfortable thing about running a company has been the interpersonal interactions he has to partake in, but he’s found his confidence in order to enact his vision.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Myself:

    I can't do both. This isn't making me happy.

  • How I responded:

    While I was still trying to figure things out, I worked a day job constructing houses just so I could keep building things, but every night, I went home and studied physics. Eventually, I realized I was burning myself out and wasn't happy, so I quit my day job and went back to school in order to focus more on what I was interested in. It was there that I met Ian and we laid the groundwork for Sphero.

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

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  • I am the first in my immediate family to attend college/university.

  • I didn't grow up with much money, so I developed a fascination with taking things apart and trying to build new things with the pieces.

  • I got into a lot of trouble in high school. I was caught stealing, doing drugs, etc.

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