Bio

Austin Russell is an engineer, self-driving technology pioneer, and the founder and CEO of Luminar Technologies (Nasdaq: LAZR), the global leader in automotive lidar hardware and software technology. Under Austin’s leadership, Luminar has amassed over 50 commercial partners and went public via a SPAC in December 2020 with a post-deal market valuation of $3.4 billion. Considered an optics prodigy, Austin developed the idea for Luminar in 2012 when he was just 17 while studying physics at Stanford University, and has since invented a new type of industry leading lidar that helps self-driving vehicles see and understand their surroundings. Following Luminar's listing on Nasdaq, he became the world's youngest self-made billionaire and was recognized in Forbes’ 30 under 30 list. Austin is a Thiel Fellowship alum and resides in Palo Alto, California.