Technion Trailblazers: Lior Ron on the Global Impact of the Strongest Education

While many Technion – Israel Institute of Technology alumni move all around the world taking on leadership roles across the technology sector, they often find ways to stay close to the Technion and Israel at heart.  

I recently spoke with Lior Ron, founder and CEO of Uber Freight, about his journey from a child in Israel interested in computers to an executive at a major tech company in Silicon Valley, as well as the many ways the Technion has played a role in his life and career every step of the way. 

Michael: I know that you’re in Silicon Valley now, but I’m curious to learn more about why you studied science, and why you wanted to do so at the Technion. 

Lior: Like most Technion students, I found computers fascinating as a child, which drove my interest in technology from a young age. I also grew up outside Haifa and was very familiar with the Technion’s prestige as a hub of excellence and innovation. In fact, I spent a summer or two in astronomy camp at the Technion. When I was a teenager, the Technion started a new program to bring high school students into the university classroom. At the time, it felt like skipping school in a way, but I was replacing my high school courses with a few very rigorous lectures in math and computer science instead. These programs solidified my relationship with the Technion for the rest of my academic and professional careers. 

Michael: It sounds like those programs created a great foundation for the Technion undergraduate experience. Did you feel like the partnership in high school made that transition easier? 

Lior: The transition into my undergraduate experience was seamless, though the Technion definitely pushes its students to their fullest potential. Because of my head start in computer science from high school, continuing my studies in that field felt like the natural path for the next step in my education. Fortunately, I already had a quarter of my course load completed when I officially became an undergraduate student. In 1997, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree.  

Michael: Did you have a strong sense of what you wanted to do professionally when you graduated? I know that many Technion alumni go back to school for another degree while others dive headfirst into the startup world or take on a role at a Big Tech company in Israel. 

Lior: I took quite a few more steps after my undergraduate education before entering the tech sector professionally. I first completed my service in the Israel Defense Forces working on intelligence. Then, I was fortunate enough to return to the Technion to pursue a master’s degree, also in computer science. 

At the time, I was drawn to artificial intelligence and neural networks which were in the very early stages of research. While AI is integrated into almost every part of life now, we were still working on finding ways to apply it to the real world in 2000. Working with Dr. Yoram Baram, who is still a professor of computer science at the Technion today, I developed a biomedical device to assist Parkinson’s disease patients in walking more easily. It was exciting to see my work make a positive impact on real lives, and I knew I wanted to chase that feeling once I entered the professional world. Finally, with my master’s degree in hand, I began my MBA at Stanford University, and I’ve been living in California ever since. 

Michael: I can imagine that moving halfway across the world was a daunting change, especially given your deep roots in Haifa. How did you adapt to life in Silicon Valley? 

Lior: While I physically moved my life thousands of miles away from Israel, I have always made it a priority to stay connected to my roots there and at the Technion. However, I never imagined I would have such a direct relationship between my time at the Technion and every step of my career.  

While I was at Stanford, Andy Grove, a former CEO of Intel, was a professor of mine and had shared with our class that he had Parkinson’s disease. I was not planning on scaling my master’s thesis project after leaving the Technion, but I thought he should know about my past work. To my surprise, in speaking with him after the lecture, he insisted on providing the resources needed for commercialization to scale its impact for more Parkinson’s patients. He was familiar with the Technion’s reputation as a powerhouse for innovation, and eventually, we got a startup off the ground called Gaitaid. Funnily enough, the person who approved the intellectual property grant 20 years ago attended an ATS board event that I hosted here at Uber last year. Everything has always seemed to come full circle. 

Michael: Seeing years of hard work and research come to life in that way must feel quite fulfilling. It’s inspiring to see the tech world find ways to bring its minds together for a greater good. 

Lior: Absolutely. One of the most valuable takeaways from the Technion that I brought with me to Silicon Valley is the ability and desire to collaborate in rooms with extremely smart people, and often, people who are smarter than myself. Understanding how to work in a team towards a shared mission while also standing my ground was an essential foundation that only the Technion can provide at such a high level. 

Michael: I can understand just how vital it is to know how to work well with so many different people. How else has that foundation impacted your career? The gap between a Parkinson’s medical device and working with Uber feels like a big jump. 

Lior: I was a hungry MBA student, and the throughline in my career was finding new ways to create tech products that help real lives rather than settling on a specific industry. I built a rapport with Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google at the time, and in getting to know him, I learned more about his goal to expand Google’s capabilities in searching geographic information on the web. Ultimately, I joined the Google Maps product team after my MBA. Playing an active role in its growth from 10 million users to over one billion worldwide was an incredible journey. 

I joined Motorola Mobility after its acquisition by Google, tasked with figuring out how to democratize access to the internet on mobile phones with Android. Once again, though my specific industry changed, I was grounded in my goal to create technology that makes everyday life easier.  

Michael: It feels quite fitting that so many Technion alumni have an early start in their career at Google given just how important an impact it has had in transforming society in the last several decades. How does your transition to the logistics industry fit into your story? 

Lior: I know that diving headfirst into logistics sounds a bit random, but it circled back to that foundational goal in finding ways where new technology can fill a need. As I identified the industries shaping everyday life that could use a refresh, logistics immediately came to mind. It’s shocking just how inefficient the industry has been historically. A third of the eighteen wheelers you see on the road today are driving empty. On top of that, the median age for truck drivers is rising rapidly and not enough new employees are replacing those who are retiring. Clearly something had to change. 

Michael: Fascinating! For an industry that is so integral to our economy, solving those challenges feels quite urgent. How have you managed to tackle them? 

Lior: First, I was interested in the new frontier of autonomous vehicles. Self-driving trucks seemed like a natural solution to the driver capacity challenge. No need to worry about not having an available driver if the truck doesn’t need a driver in the first place, right? I built a startup called Otto around this challenge, and we were eventually acquired by Uber. That brings me to where I am today. 

Michael: From the name Uber Freight, I assume it works just like regular Uber. Is that a correct assessment, or is there another layer to your services? 

Lior: At its most fundamental level, Uber Freight helps connect truck drivers to a nearby transportation job at the right price for both the driver and the manufacturer. We ensure that trucks aren’t driving from point A to point B empty, while also helping manufacturers optimize their entire shipping system. For example, we can help companies consolidate their freight from several small trucks to one large eighteen-wheeler. I compare our impact to that of the Cloud for IT teams several years ago. Just like several companies moved their data to the Cloud, manufacturers can transition their logistics operations to us, and we take it from there. 

We’re also the top provider of services between trucks and trains, and the second largest mover of things between Mexico and the United States. We’ve worked with large corporations like Kellog and Nestle, and we just opened services in Europe. 

Michael: That sounds like a major operation! It’s quite impressive that you’ve been able to scale your work to dominate such a large portion of the industry in such a short period of time. I also wanted to ask if you have any words of strength or solidarity for Technion students who are currently where you were several years ago, trying to figure out how they can positively impact the world while managing the uncertainty of this time. 

Lior: In these tough times, it’s inspiring and humbling to see the resiliency of the Technion community, and to witness how much the Technion as a university has done to support its students – especially those called for reserve duty. Some people may think the Technion has a rigid reputation. But the last year has shown just how attentive it is to its community and the country at large. Some things are more important than getting an A+, and the recent displays of solidarity show just how vital community is to the strength of our network. 

I also want to underscore why this moment in history serves as a sharp reminder of the importance of deep scientific excellence, not only for Israel’s own sense of personal safety, but of what will be lost should our ability to do research be significantly impacted. The Technion, and Israelis everywhere, have contributed some of the most important scientific breakthroughs that have improved the lives of people all over the world, like medications for Alzheimer’s, cancer treatments, aerospace exploration, agricultural innovations, and more. It would be a huge global loss if the pace of Israeli scientific exploration slowed down. Fortunately, we are resilient and know how to persevere through challenging environments. Supporting each other will be instrumental in continuing to find strength. 

Michael: I know that everyone at the Technion appreciates your wisdom, Lior. You’re an inspiring example of what life after the Technion can look like, and we appreciate your commitment to staying connected with our community, regardless of how many miles are between us.