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Gerardo Interiano
Gerardo Interiano
01:00

Gerardo Interiano

Aurora

Pittsburgh, PA USA

"Be bold. Go and try new things that you’ve never tried before, and don’t be afraid to fail."

Career Roadmap

Gerardo's work combines: Government, Technology, and Accomplishing Goals

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Day In The Life

Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs

I lead government and public affairs programs for a self-driving technology company.

03:19

Day In The Life Of A Vice President of Government Relations

My Day to Day

I spend time working internally with our teams to figure out what blockers they face in deploying our technology. As our product or engineering teams develop our technology, I seek to understand what they need from government in order to get that technology safely on the roads. Then I work with government to explain our technology and mission, understand their mission, goals, and concerns, and make sure we align for the most impact and benefits.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

When I made the decision to leave my government job to work for Google, my parents were doubtful. I had a great job with a great boss and they didn't understand why I'd leave to take this risk. On the other hand, all of my mentors encouraged me to take the risk. Looking back, I don't regret it at all. You learn a lot from the risks you take. I encourage others to take risks and try new things.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Economics

    University of Texas at Austin

  • Doctorate

    Law

    University of Texas at Austin

Life & Career Milestones

I've taken a lot of twists and turns

  • 1.

    I was born in El Salvador, where I lived until moving with my family to Houson, Texas, at eight years old.

  • 2.

    I earned my bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Texas at Austin and then went on to law school.

  • 3.

    After graduating from law school, I went straight into politics.

  • 4.

    I spent four years in Washington D.C. working for a member of Congress, followed by two years working for a Speaker of the House in Texas.

  • 5.

    From there, I moved into technology and got to be part of the first state government relations team at Google.

  • 6.

    I spent six years with Google before moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to join Aurora, a self-driving technology company.

  • 7.

    I started with Aurora as the head of government relations and have since moved up to my current role as vice president of government relations and public affairs.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Parents:

    Why would you leave such a good job with a good manager to try something new?

  • How I responded:

    When I made the decision to leave my government job to work for Google, my parents were doubtful. I had a great job with a great boss and they didn't understand why I'd leave to take this risk. On the other hand, all of my mentors encouraged me to take the risk. Looking back, I don't regret it at all. You learn a lot from the risks you take. I encourage others to take risks and try new things.