# Robert States | How Engineers Can Thrive in Corporate R&D

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2026-08-28
- Length: 47m
- Episode: 36
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d

## Summary

Rob States, Vice President of Technical Services at Cormica and founder of AccelaTech, discusses how engineers can thrive in corporate R&D by understanding the business realities of risk management, budgeting, and layoffs. He contrasts the innovation-focused but process-light environment of startups with the risk-mitigation and scaling capabilities of large corporations. States advises engineers to build a personal brand and identify high-value patterns in project failures to become indispensable 'heroes' who can recover fast when things go wrong. He also outlines his vision for replacing paper specifications with physics-based digital models to predict recalls and reduce development time.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=0) Introduction: Rob States and Corporate R&D Realities
- [3:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=208) Startup vs. Corporate R&D: Innovation vs. Risk Management
- [7:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=426) The Real Contract: Why Corporations Value Process Over Individual Talent
- [13:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=815) Budgeting, Layoffs, and the Zero-Sum Game of Project Portfolios
- [16:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=1007) Building a Personal Brand to Mitigate Career Risk
- [19:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=1199) Identifying Patterns: The 'Nostradamus' Engineer and Recovery Speed
- [25:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=1555) Why R&D Programs Get Cut: Serial Discovery and Late-Stage Failures
- [32:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=1920) Commercial Success: Throwing Resources at the Finish Line
- [35:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=2142) Understanding Value: Depth vs. Breadth in Engineering Communication
- [40:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d#t=2439) Future Vision: Physics-Based Digital Models and Predicting Recalls

## Topics

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

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Cormica (company)
- AccelaTech (company)
- Stress Engineering Services (company)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- Procter & Gamble (company)
- Newell Brands (company)
- Penn State (other)
- Ashland University (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [509: Swarmed by Engineers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2025-09-05-509-swarmed-by-engineers) (Embedded.fm)
- ["Impedance Matching" with Davidson and Vandenbout - Presbytes Pushing Portfolios](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-01-15-impedance-matching-with-davidson-and-vandenbout-presbytes-pushing-portfolios) (The Amp Hour)
- [Creating Manufacturing Environments Where Engineers Can Thrive w/ Josh Tarbutton](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-12-02-creating-manufacturing-environments-where-engineers-can-thrive-w-josh-tarbutton) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [21: The Tent Is Flat and Everyone Is Wet](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-10-02-21-the-tent-is-flat-and-everyone-is-wet) (Embedded.fm)
- [Exploring Innovation as a Mindset with Chuck Swoboda](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2020-03-24-exploring-innovation-as-a-mindset-with-chuck-swoboda) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)

## 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/2026-08-28-robert-states-how-engineers-can-thrive-in-corporate-r-d. 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.