含羞草传媒

U of T鈥檚 Raquel Urtasun among five women breaking down barriers in the auto industry: Globe and Mail

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(Photo courtesy of Waabi)

A leading machine learning expert and CEO of a self-driving car startup, the 含羞草传媒鈥檚 Raquel Urtasun recently shared some of the secrets to her success  highlighting five Canadian women who are breaking down gender barriers in the automotive industry.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a combination of very strategic problem solving, never ever giving up, and building an incredible team around me,鈥 Urtasun, a professor of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, told the Globe. 鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 not about me, it鈥檚 about what together we can do.鈥

Urtasun, whose startup Waabi has raised more than $100 million in initial financing, noted that women often have to do 鈥渢en times more鈥 than male counterparts to be recognized. She also expressed her belief that diversity in hiring needs to focus on career pathways rather than merely placing people in jobs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about how many leaders you have, it鈥檚 about, do you have a path for them to be reaching up?鈥 she said.

She added that she hopes her efforts with Waabi will leave behind a positive legacy 鈥 both through the company鈥檚 self-driving technology as well as its own hiring practices. 鈥淲hen I retire one day, I want to look back and say that all this effort and all the things I did were for a reason and impacted the world in a positive manner. We provided change. We provided opportunities for people. We provided a better life for people.鈥

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