Flying Into The Future

Are flying cars a fantasy? No, says innovator and computer scientist Sebastian Thrun, who is making automotive technology accessible to Indian students through his online education startup Udacity.

- Prerna Lidhoo

SEBAS TIAN THRUN IS AN INNOVATOR and entrepreneur best known as the pioneer of Google’s self-driving cars. But that is not all he does. The 52-year-old computer scientist is also the founder and chairman of Silicon Valley-based online education startup Udacity which reaches millions of students in over 190 countries, including 1.3 million in India. Originally from Germany, Thrun now sees India as one of the top growing markets for education, automation, self-drive technology, and artificial intelligence. Thrun, who Fortune named as one of the 50 smartest people in technology in 2010, believes his courses can empower thousands of Indians and even make them industry-ready. At the same time, Thrun as CEO of electric aircraft maker Kitty Hawk, also wants to make real, usable flying cars a reality. In an exclusive interview with Fortune India, he talks about his vision of democratising education with Udacity and opportunities in India’s auto-tech industry. Edited excerpts:

Tell me something about your experiment that led you to start Udacity in 2011.