The Behance Blog

Google X's Sebastian Thrun on How To Invent Amazing Products & Change the World

Published May 16, 2013 by Jocelyn K. Glei

"Build it. Break it. Improve it." That was the Universal Law of Invention as defined by this year's incredible ALVA Award winner, Sebastian Thrun. From the Google Self Driving Car to Google Glass to the education start-up Udacity, Thrun has led remarkable teams in the creation of products that will truly change the way the world works in the future.

Great inventors – and great inventions – solve problems, address real needs, and make the world work better. To recognize the next generation of world-changing creators, we created the ALVA Award in partnership with GE, which takes its name from the legendary inventor who inspired us: Thomas Alva Edison. This year, we were honored to award the ALVA to Sebastian Thrun, who joined us live at the 99U Conference for an incredible presentation outlining his approach to making ideas happen. Along the way, Sebastian talked about the importance of setting wildly ambitious goals, embracing failure as an opportunity to learn, iterating as fast as you can, and giving your team members the autonomy they need to invent.

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Photos from Sebastian's Presentation:

thrun_3 thrun_4 thrun_1 thrun_2 alva alva_behance_2
All Photos: MACKME.COM — Learn more about the ALVA Award, and our past winners, at www.99u.com/alva.

More about Jocelyn K. Glei

A writer and the founding editor of 99U, Jocelyn K. Glei is obsessed with how to make great creative work in the Age of Distraction. Her latest book is Unsubscribe: How to Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distraction, and Get Real Work Done. Her previous works include the 99U’s own bestselling book series: Manage Your Day-to-Day, Maximize Your Potential, and Make Your Mark. Follow her @jkglei.

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