Interview
Simone Giertz: Queen of Sh*tty Robots, Innovative Engineering, and Design | Lex Fridman Podcast #372
- Simone Yetch constructed a "proud parent machine" using a repurposed lamp arm, laser-cut plywood torso, and a servo motor; the device accepts a quarter to pat a user on the shoulder and announce "proud of you, son."
- Yetch's initial foray into hardware involved building a functional iPhone case with six retractable guitar strings controlled by a Bluetooth-enabled Arduino board, which used capacitive touch sensors to trigger an iOS app.
- She leveraged the "Queen of Shitty Robots" moniker from Reddit to build an audience, adopting self-deprecation as a strategic tool to mitigate imposter syndrome and the specific gendered threats faced by women in male-dominated engineering fields.
- Yetch's creative philosophy centers on "GIF-forward" design, requiring that complex engineering concepts be visually self-explanatory within a seven-second looping video without audio.
- She spent approximately two years designing a mechanical coat hanger, a product she plans to release in the near future that solves the spatial constraints of hanging coats in corners.
- Yetch is developing a pilot show titled "Everyday Objects" to explore the cultural and behavioral origins of common items, such as forks and doorknobs, questioning why humans have settled on specific designs.
- Her product design company, Yetch, launched with a focus on "unique solutions to everyday problems," including the "Everyday Calendar," a mass-manufacturable product derived from a personal prototype using 365 capacitive touch sensors instead of mechanical switches to manage costs.
- The company also sells "incomplete puzzles" containing only 499 of 500 pieces, a whimsical product line intended to test market response and serve as a potential asset for future funding pitches.
- In 2018/2019, Yetch led a team to convert a Tesla Model 3 into a functional pickup truck, prioritizing utility over aesthetics initially, though the final build retained a high-quality appearance.
- A significant portion of Yetch's work involves exploring the emotional and psychological impact of flawed or "shitty" robots, arguing that anthropomorphism and emotional attachment to imperfect machines are natural human responses.
- Yetch was diagnosed with a golf-ball-sized brain tumor in 2020, discovered after a swollen eyelid prompted an MRI; she underwent surgery to remove the tumor and completed a course of radiation therapy.
- The medical ordeal fundamentally altered her self-perception, shifting her definition of "being good" from relentless discipline to gentle self-care, resting, and listening to her body.
- She noted that her brain exhibited a remarkable biological adaptation, physically filling the void left by the tumor surgery and returning to a near-normal shape.
- Yetch's business model transitioned from relying solely on YouTube ad revenue—which she describes as a "human billboard" role vulnerable to algorithmic changes—to a diversified product business using her channel as an R&D department and community testing ground.
- She advocates for mass manufacturing processes that balance cost-efficiency with design integrity, noting the difficulty of scaling one-off prototypes into affordable, reliable products without compromising the "magic" of the design.
- Yetch reflects on her past as an MMA reporter in Sweden, where she was once ejected from an interview with Alexander Gustafson for asking about the fighter's violent criminal history, an incident she notes was a generational parallel to her mother being ejected from an interview with Mel Gibson.
- Her early life involved moving between Sweden, China, and Kenya due to her parents' divorce, a series of relocations she attributes to her feeling of being "restless" and lacking a singular spiritual "home."
- Yetch advises young people to prioritize enthusiasm over duty, suggesting that finding work that generates natural excitement is a more potent fuel for a career than adhering to societal expectations of "important" or "hard" tasks.
- She defines the meaning of life not as a grand purpose, but as the pursuit of substantial joy found in community, shared silence, and collaborative achievement with others.
- Forward-looking, Yetch speculates on the potential for AI to act as an intermediary in dating, where AI versions of individuals could interact to filter compatibility before real humans meet.
- She expresses concern regarding the integration of advanced AI and robotics into military applications and the potential for these technologies to be used for emotional manipulation and radicalization.
- Yetch intends to release a book but humorously dismisses the idea of a traditional 600-page autobiography, joking that her life story would amount to a coloring book with chapters on basic milestones like puberty and tying shoelaces.