# S6E2 Derek Pietz | Industrial Automation, Losing A Million Dollars, & Successful Startups

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2025-01-10
- Length: 37m
- Episode: 2
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start

## Summary

Derek Pietz, Director of Automation Equipment and Test Engineering at Intuitive, discusses his journey from co-founding the automation startup Lab to Fab (LTF) to his current role in robotic-assisted surgery. He recounts a dramatic week at LTF involving a $1 million penalty, near-bankruptcy, and a last-minute $3 million investment from a Chinese integrator. Pietz also shares insights on engineering best practices, the impact of AI in automation, and the challenges of scaling production at Intuitive.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start#t=1) Introduction and Career Path
- [3:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start#t=221) Founding Lab to Fab and the Pivot to Automation
- [7:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start#t=438) The Rollercoaster Week: Bankruptcy, Inc. 500, and a $3M Investment
- [13:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start#t=801) Scaling LTF: The Apple Project and 100-Hour Weeks
- [17:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start#t=1047) Engineering Best Practices: Requirements and Teamwork
- [21:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start#t=1276) Current Role at Intuitive and the Da Vinci Surgical System
- [25:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start#t=1548) AI-Powered Vision and Future Trends in Automation
- [28:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start#t=1686) Success Stories, Failures, and Advice for Engineers

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up, large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Intuitive (company)
- Lab to Fab (company)
- Da Vinci Surgical System (product)
- Ion (product)
- Solyndra (company)
- Apple (company)
- Tesla (company)
- SpaceX (company)
- Covariant (company)
- Micropsy (company)
- Inc 500 (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [How to Build an Industrial Automation YouTube Channel with Tim Wilborne](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-01-17-how-to-build-an-industrial-automation-youtube-channel-with-tim-wilborne) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [How a Career in Manufacturing Prepares You for Entrepreneurship with Kiley Summers, Founder of SpenDebt](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2020-10-06-how-a-career-in-manufacturing-prepares-you-for-entrepreneurship-with-kiley-summe) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [BONUS: BIG NEWS + 3 Reasons I'm Grateful I Worked at Rockwell Automation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2020-11-03-bonus-big-news-3-reasons-im-grateful-i-worked-at-rockwell-automation) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [An Interview with John Davis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-03-26-an-interview-with-john-davis) (The Amp Hour)
- [Zane Hengsperger (Founder/CEO, Nox Metals)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-03-25-zane-hengsperger-founder-ceo-nox-metals) (Just Gonna Send It)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-01-10-s6e2-derek-pietz-industrial-automation-losing-a-million-dollars-successful-start. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Being an Engineer.