Adam Wilson
Co-founder / Chief Software Architect
Sphero
Boulder, CO USA
“We chose fun, and then we emphasized it in everything that we did.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationAdam Wilson
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
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.
From there, the natural transition was to learn code, which was essentially an extension of his penchant for building things.
One summer, he went and lived with a relative who wrote software for airplanes.
To satisfy his propensity for building things, he worked a day job constructing houses, but every night, he went home and studied physics.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
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.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Engineering
Technology
Building Things
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.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for professionals
Be intellectually honest with yourself. If you don't know how to do something, admit that. From there, figure out if it is something you can figure out or realistically learn how to do in time. If not, get the right person to do it.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"I can't do both. This isn't making me happy. "
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation College Student
Financial
Legal Trouble
Interviewed By
Code Trip
Increasing representation in the world of coding
