139. will.i.am & Austin Russell: Mute the hype, amplify the product

Is there such a thing as too much hype? And can it ever pay to stay low-key — even about the most innovative of products? Austin Russell of Luminar Technologies believes so. When aged just 17, Austin created revolutionary tech to let autonomous vehicles navigate safely. Almost as startling is how he kept his breakthrough close to his chest for five years — carefully choosing trusted team members, mentors and industry partners before revealing his tech to the wider world. In this special episode guest-hosted by master hype-ologist will.i.am, Austin offers a masterclass in understatement and the importance of keeping the pitch from drowning out your product. Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.