EPISODE · Dec 1, 2025 · 49 MIN
#71 Apurv Naman — From Engineering Roots to Product Leadership in Physical AI
from PreVetted Podcast · host Federico Ramallo
In this episode, Apurv Naman, Product Manager at NVIDIA, shares a heartfelt, visionary journey that starts with childhood cartoons—The Jetsons, Star Trek, Star Wars—and evolves into a career shaping physical AI: humanoids and self-driving cars. What began as wonder for machines you can “touch and feel” became a calling to work where hardware, software, and AI meet real-world impact.Apurv recalls how mechanical engineering opened doors to robotics and automotive systems, leading him into autonomous vehicles, patents, and the thrill of shipping things that move. Along the way, the “why” behind features kept tugging at him. That curiosity—paired with a desire to influence what gets built, not just how—led him to an MBA at Berkeley, an internship at NVIDIA, and a full transition into product management.He explains the PM craft through a physical-AI lens: prioritization as the essential superpower; the discipline of saying no so teams can focus; and the daily balance between user needs and engineering realities. A technical background, he says, helps PMs understand feasibility, timelines, and the reasoning behind engineering proposals—so they can challenge thoughtfully, communicate the user story clearly, and align diverse teams.Diving into physical AI, Apurv highlights why it feels like “magic”: robots and AVs don’t just respond on a screen—they act in our world. That power also raises the bar: in physical AI, the room for error is minimal. Safety and traceability become top-tier KPIs; a single failure can break user trust—or a company. He contrasts software A/B tests with the life-and-death stakes of autonomous systems and notes how lessons from aviation and automotive safety must inform robotics and humanoids.On self-driving, Apurv reflects on how AV behavior evolves with human behavior—why early rule-following cars sometimes had to become more assertive to merge like real drivers. He imagines a future where AVs complement public transit to expand mobility—helping elders, people with disabilities, and even enabling safe school runs—while acknowledging trade-offs like congestion and the need for hybrid solutions.User empathy looms large in his approach. He shares how subtle design choices (e.g., letting a steering wheel move in sync with turns) can reduce user anxiety and build trust. Ethics, too, is integral: while Asimov’s Three Laws are more philosophical than literal, their spirit informs modern safety frameworks and the complex decision trees inside these systems.Throughout the conversation, Apurv returns to a core idea: in tech, change is the only constant, and AI has accelerated that pace.About Apurv Naman:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/apurv-naman/About Federico Ramallo ✨👨💻🌎🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/- 🌐 https://densitylabs.io- ✅ https://prevetted.ai🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡- 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast- 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod- 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast00:00 The Journey Begins: Apurv's Engineering Inspiration05:24 Transitioning to Product Management: A Gradual Shift11:12 The Role of Prioritization in Product Management13:16 Balancing Technical Knowledge and User Needs16:54 The Excitement of Physical AI and Humanoids24:54 The Societal Impact of Self-Driving Cars26:11 The Future of Transportation: AVs and Public Transport32:09 Challenges of Physical AI: Safety and Regulation38:42 Empathy and Ethics in AI Design48:32 Final Thoughts: Embracing Change in Product Management
What this episode covers
In this episode, Apurv Naman, Product Manager at NVIDIA, shares a heartfelt, visionary journey that starts with childhood cartoons—The Jetsons, Star Trek, Star Wars—and evolves into a career shaping physical AI: humanoids and self-driving cars. What began as wonder for machines you can “touch and feel” became a calling to work where hardware, software, and AI meet real-world impact.Apurv recalls how mechanical engineering opened doors to robotics and automotive systems, leading him into autonomous vehicles, patents, and the thrill of shipping things that move. Along the way, the “why” behind features kept tugging at him. That curiosity—paired with a desire to influence what gets built, not just how—led him to an MBA at Berkeley, an internship at NVIDIA, and a full transition into product management.He explains the PM craft through a physical-AI lens: prioritization as the essential superpower; the discipline of saying no so teams can focus; and the daily balance between user needs and engineering realities. A technical background, he says, helps PMs understand feasibility, timelines, and the reasoning behind engineering proposals—so they can challenge thoughtfully, communicate the user story clearly, and align diverse teams.Diving into physical AI, Apurv highlights why it feels like “magic”: robots and AVs don’t just respond on a screen—they act in our world. That power also raises the bar: in physical AI, the room for error is minimal. Safety and traceability become top-tier KPIs; a single failure can break user trust—or a company. He contrasts software A/B tests with the life-and-death stakes of autonomous systems and notes how lessons from aviation and automotive safety must inform robotics and humanoids.On self-driving, Apurv reflects on how AV behavior evolves with human behavior—why early rule-following cars sometimes had to become more assertive to merge like real drivers. He imagines a future where AVs complement public transit to expand mobility—helping elders, people with disabilities, and even enabling safe school runs—while acknowledging trade-offs like congestion and the need for hybrid solutions.User empathy looms large in his approach. He shares how subtle design choices (e.g., letting a steering wheel move in sync with turns) can reduce user anxiety and build trust. Ethics, too, is integral: while Asimov’s Three Laws are more philosophical than literal, their spirit informs modern safety frameworks and the complex decision trees inside these systems.Throughout the conversation, Apurv returns to a core idea: in tech, change is the only constant, and AI has accelerated that pace.About Apurv Naman:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/apurv-naman/About Federico Ramallo ✨👨💻🌎🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/- 🌐 https://densitylabs.io- ✅ https://prevetted.ai🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡- 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast- 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod- 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast00:00 The Journey Begins: Apurv's Engineering Inspiration05:24 Transitioning to Product Management: A Gradual Shift11:12 The Role of Prioritization in Product Management13:16 Balancing Technical Knowledge and User Needs16:54 The Excitement of Physical AI and Humanoids24:54 The Societal Impact of Self-Driving Cars26:11 The Future of Transportation: AVs and Public Transport32:09 Challenges of Physical AI: Safety and Regulation38:42 Empathy and Ethics in AI Design48:32 Final Thoughts: Embracing Change in Product Management
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#71 Apurv Naman — From Engineering Roots to Product Leadership in Physical AI
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