Jiajun Zhu, the Co-Founder and CEO of Nuro, is one of the most important people in the fast-changing world of autonomous technology. Zhu is a visionary leader who loves robotics and has led Nuro to the top of the autonomous vehicle industry. He has changed the way goods are delivered and changed the way people do business in their own neighborhoods. His rise from a Google engineer to a successful entrepreneur shows how skilled he is with technology, how creative he is, and how dedicated he is to making life better with robotics.
Life and Schooling as a Child
Jiajun Zhu has always been interested in technology. When he was a child in Shanghai, China, he spent hours learning about art, physics, and early computer programming. Zhu was already locking himself in his room during summer breaks when he was 12 or 13 years old. He was coding and dreaming of a future where smart machines could change the way people live. His interest in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) led him to choose his major. Zhu got his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Fudan University, which is one of the best schools in China. Then he went on to get his Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Virginia. These academic successes set him up well to make important contributions to autonomous technology in the future.
A Career at Google That Changed the Game
In 2008, Zhu’s career took a big step forward when he became a principal software engineer at Google. He quickly became a key player in the company’s new self-driving car project, which is now called Waymo. Zhu was in charge of the perception team as one of the founding members. They created the AI algorithms, sensors, and cameras that let cars drive through complicated environments. He also helped build large-scale simulation systems that let millions of virtual miles be driven to improve self-driving car technology. His job at Google not only improved his technical skills, but it also gave him the idea to use self-driving cars for more than just getting people from one place to another.
While working at Google, Zhu met Dave Ferguson, another engineer who was also interested in robotics. Their work together at Waymo set the stage for a partnership that would eventually lead to the creation of Nuro. Zhu’s time at Google, where he had to balance cutting-edge technology with real-world uses, shaped how he thinks about innovation. It made him want to find practical solutions to everyday problems.
Starting Nuro: A Plan for Self-Driving Delivery
Zhu and Ferguson left Google in 2016 to start Nuro, a robotics company based in Mountain View, California. The company’s goal is to change the way people shop by using self-driving delivery vehicles. Nuro’s goal was to make small, electric, fully autonomous vehicles that only deliver things like groceries, prescriptions, and meals. This is different from other companies that make self-driving cars that are meant to transport people. Zhu’s goal was clear: use robots to make daily tasks easier, cheaper, and better for the environment.
The R1 and R2 are Nuro’s main vehicles. They are small, driverless robots that don’t have steering wheels, side mirrors, or passenger compartments. These cars are designed to be as safe and efficient as possible, and they use advanced AI and sensor technology to get around cities. Zhu’s leadership has been key to reaching important goals, such as Nuro becoming the first company to get an exemption from the U.S. Department of Transportation for traditional vehicle safety requirements. This means that Nuro’s vehicles can operate without things like windshields or airbags. In 2020, Nuro also became the first company in California to get a permit for fully driverless operations. This was a big step toward making autonomous delivery a business.
Changing the environment and communities
Zhu has led Nuro to work with big names like Kroger, CVS, Domino’s, 7-Eleven, FedEx, and Walmart to deliver goods quickly and cheaply. These partnerships have helped Nuro deal with important social problems, like food deserts, where almost 20 million Americans can’t get fresh groceries because they can’t get there. Nuro is making important goods easier to get for communities that don’t have them by offering cheap delivery, usually for a flat fee of $5.95 for same-day or next-day service.
Another important part of Nuro’s mission is Zhu’s dedication to sustainability. The company’s all-electric fleet cuts down on CO2 emissions and traffic jams by replacing gas-powered cars that people use for small tasks. Zhu has talked a lot about how Nuro’s work affects the environment. For example, a lot of people drive big SUVs or trucks for small tasks like picking up one thing, which adds to pollution and wastes time. Nuro’s small, electric cars are a more environmentally friendly option that fits with Zhu’s idea of a more sustainable future.
A Change in Strategy and Global Goals
In September 2024, Nuro said it was changing its business strategy in a big way. Instead of making its own delivery robots, it would license its self-driving technology to car companies and mobility providers. This change, led by Zhu and Ferguson, is meant to make Nuro’s AI-first autonomy system scalable and work with any type of vehicle, so it can be used in commercial fleets, robotaxis, and personal cars. In 2025, Nuro will announce a historic partnership with Uber and Lucid. The partnership will make Nuro’s technology work in more than 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs for a global robotaxi program that will start in 2026. This decision shows Zhu’s forward-thinking way of growing Nuro’s impact while making sure it stays financially stable.
Investors like SoftBank, Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, Nvidia, and Uber recently gave Nuro $203 million in Series E funding. This shows that they believe in Zhu’s leadership and Nuro’s vision. Zhu is excited about this new chapter. He said, “This partnership will show what can happen when proven AV technology meets real-world scale.”
Life and Leadership
Focus, resilience, and empathy are three things that make Zhu a good leader. In 2020, Business Insider named him one of the “100 People Transforming Business,” Forbes named him one of the “40 Under 40,” and LinkedIn named him one of the “Top Professionals 35 and Under.” Zhu stays grounded even though he runs a company worth more than $8.6 billion. He credits his family, especially his wife and two children, with helping him deal with stress. He often relaxes by riding bikes with his kids and thinks about how running a startup is like being a parent in terms of how hard it can be emotionally.
Zhu talked about Nuro’s journey during a 2022 fireside chat at TC Sessions: Mobility. He stressed how important it is to keep going when things get tough as an entrepreneur. He thinks that focus is the key to dealing with the challenges of growing a startup, and he always looks to the future instead of dwelling on past failures.
A Legacy in the Works
Jiajun Zhu has more than 100 patents and has driven more than 1 million miles without any accidents that were his fault. He is not only building a company, but he is also changing the future of robotics and mobility. Nuro’s goal of “making autonomy accessible to all” is in line with Zhu’s belief that smart robots can make people’s lives better by saving time, money, and making it easier to get important goods. Zhu’s dream of a world where robots fit in with everyday life is coming true, one delivery at a time, as Nuro keeps coming up with new ideas and growing.
Jiajun Zhu is showing that autonomous technology can do more than just drive; it can change the way we live. He does this through his technical brilliance, strategic foresight, and unwavering commitment to making a difference in the world. Zhu’s leadership keeps Nuro at the forefront of a robotics revolution that promises to make the world safer, greener, and more connected as the company continues to push the limits.
