John Stech, The Auto Ethnographer, draws on his thirty years in the global automotive industry to bring the world to your doorstep in both an informative and entertaining way using a style rooted in autoethnography.
What is "autoethnography"? Derived from Tony E. Adams’ definition, "autoethnography" is a research method leaning on the experiences of individuals to analyze assumptions, culture, communication, local norms, traditions, emotional impact, and how they mesh with greater culture and society where they operate. Normally, "auto" relates to the self – as in "autobiography". But we put wheels on it, separated the words, and focus on vehicles and the cultural experiences related to the auto industry.
The Auto Ethnographer and his guests tell the human stories behind the famous automotive and vehicle brands, spanning continents, countries, and cultures across the globe. Together, they unlock the mysteries of local culture, values, and approaches to success in the vehicle industry. Of course, every cultural interaction faces the risk of faux pas, and those will surely be covered as well.
The Auto Ethnographer's guests made the vehicle industry happen in their country markets. Now they tell their stories. Each guest will relay their experiences while addressing cultural challenges they faced. Guests range from current and past industry leaders to newcomers and rising talents. They are either expats in a foreign land or local employees working with a foreign brand in their home country.
The target audience are Individuals fascinated by the auto industry and how to navigate cultures for successful outcomes. The audience are either seasoned professionals or newcomers seeking to learn how to build their careers with global insights. But don't think this is limited to the auto industry. These international business principles are valid across industries.
John Stech engaged in his 30-year career with Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler Corp (now part of Stellantis), Volvo Car Group, and VinFast Automotive of Vietnam. He has lived and worked on five continents, interacting with thousands of people from dozens of different cultures. Now he brings that experience to you.
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John Stech, The Auto Ethnographer, draws on his thirty years in the global automotive industry to bring the world to your doorstep in both an informative and entertaining way using a style rooted in autoethnography.
What is "autoethnography"? Derived from Tony E. Adams’ definition, "autoethnography" is a research method leaning on the experiences of individuals to analyze assumptions, culture, communication, local norms, traditions, emotional impact, and how they mesh with greater culture and society where they operate. Normally, "auto" relates to the self – as in "autobiography". But we put wheels on it, separated the words, and focus on vehicles and the cultural experiences related to the auto industry.
The Auto Ethnographer and his guests tell the human stories behind the famous automotive and vehicle brands, spanning continents, countries, and cultures across the globe. Together, they unlock the mysteries of local culture, values, and approaches to success in the vehicle industry. Of course, every cultural interaction faces the risk of faux pas, and those will surely be covered as well.
The Auto Ethnographer's guests made the vehicle industry happen in their country markets. Now they tell their stories. Each guest will relay their experiences while addressing cultural challenges they faced. Guests range from current and past industry leaders to newcomers and rising talents. They are either expats in a foreign land or local employees working with a foreign brand in their home country.
The target audience are Individuals fascinated by the auto industry and how to navigate cultures for successful outcomes. The audience are either seasoned professionals or newcomers seeking to learn how to build their careers with global insights. But don't think this is limited to the auto industry. These international business principles are valid across industries.
John Stech engaged in his 30-year career with Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler Corp (now part of Stellantis), Volvo Car Group, and VinFast Automotive of Vietnam. He has lived and worked on five continents, interacting with thousands of people from dozens of different cultures. Now he brings that experience to you.
EP 20: Adi Bathla: AI Start-up, Revv, success rooted in deep cultural values
The Auto Ethnographer with John Stech
43 minutes
4 months ago
EP 20: Adi Bathla: AI Start-up, Revv, success rooted in deep cultural values
This week's guest on The Auto Ethnographer Podcast is Adi Bathla, CEO and Co-Founder of Revv, a company that merges car repair with artificial intelligence. Together with host John Stech they trace Adi's origin story from humble beginnings in India to the current success of an entrepreneur recognized on the Forbes 30 under 30 list.
Born and raised in Northern India Adi excelled in school and harbored an intense curiosity that led him to learn at a speed outpacing other students his age. He eventually participated in an American NASA space tech competition, which he and his team ended up winning.
The NASA competition victory connected Adi to Brown University which offered him a spot in its student body. Young, straight off the plane from India with a one-way ticket, Adi plugged into the university community and beyond. He created and built software solutions for various organizations while simultaneously studying for his degree.
On graduating, Adi worked in a series of high-growth start-ups putting him in close proximity to visionary CEOs and other leaders. We one foot rooted in his humble origins and the other planted in raw ambition, Adi soaked in all the learnings he could, both from successes and failures.
But it was only when he visited his extended family's automotive workshop business that inspiration truly struck. What he found was a business built on paper and workflows that contained a lot of walking around with that paper. The lightbulb ignited and Adi had a vision for digitizing an old-school business, bringing it up to the most modern standard. He visited many other workshops to understand the pain points and problems then set off developing the basis of what would become Revv.
Revv offers an AI product which allows independent workshops, those that often fix many different brands, to repair even the most complex new vehicles, bristling with sensors and cameras, in an effective and safe way. Revv developed a system that served up repair information, calibration settings, and manufacturer instructions for hundreds of car models. What used to take days, weeks, or even months, or was simply overlooked, was now at the fingertips of small workshops. Even the smallest shop could now repair and recalibrate the Automated Driver Assistance System (ADAS) sensors that are found on 94% of vehicles on American roads.
Throughout this journey, Adi kept his cultural heritage derived from his parental upbringing "on the passenger seat". He never let go of the cultural guidance instilled in him and leverages the wise words his parents said to him while working with the diverse Revv team.
This episode traces that story and uncovers the culture that made Adi Bathla, how he leveraged it while pursuing his passions, and where it will continue to take him.
If you are interested in learning more about Revv and its AI products, please visit https://www.revvhq.com [https://www.revvhq.com/]
To learn more about The Auto Ethnographer Podcast, please visit the homepage at https://www.auto-ethnographer.com [https://www.auto-ethnographer.com/]
The Auto Ethnographer with John Stech
John Stech, The Auto Ethnographer, draws on his thirty years in the global automotive industry to bring the world to your doorstep in both an informative and entertaining way using a style rooted in autoethnography.
What is "autoethnography"? Derived from Tony E. Adams’ definition, "autoethnography" is a research method leaning on the experiences of individuals to analyze assumptions, culture, communication, local norms, traditions, emotional impact, and how they mesh with greater culture and society where they operate. Normally, "auto" relates to the self – as in "autobiography". But we put wheels on it, separated the words, and focus on vehicles and the cultural experiences related to the auto industry.
The Auto Ethnographer and his guests tell the human stories behind the famous automotive and vehicle brands, spanning continents, countries, and cultures across the globe. Together, they unlock the mysteries of local culture, values, and approaches to success in the vehicle industry. Of course, every cultural interaction faces the risk of faux pas, and those will surely be covered as well.
The Auto Ethnographer's guests made the vehicle industry happen in their country markets. Now they tell their stories. Each guest will relay their experiences while addressing cultural challenges they faced. Guests range from current and past industry leaders to newcomers and rising talents. They are either expats in a foreign land or local employees working with a foreign brand in their home country.
The target audience are Individuals fascinated by the auto industry and how to navigate cultures for successful outcomes. The audience are either seasoned professionals or newcomers seeking to learn how to build their careers with global insights. But don't think this is limited to the auto industry. These international business principles are valid across industries.
John Stech engaged in his 30-year career with Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler Corp (now part of Stellantis), Volvo Car Group, and VinFast Automotive of Vietnam. He has lived and worked on five continents, interacting with thousands of people from dozens of different cultures. Now he brings that experience to you.
