Mois Navon, founder of Mobileye and one of the engineers behind its core technology, spoke at Francisco Marroquín University on September 3, 2024. The event was organized by the Kirzner Entrepreneurship Center of the Faculty of Economic Sciences.
Navon discussed Israel’s strong sense of purpose as a key factor in its status as the leading country for start-ups per capita. "With all its problems, Israel has a great advantage: sense of purpose," said Navon, referencing the book Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle by Dan Senor and Saul Singer.
He explained his role in designing the chip that enabled autonomous vehicle technology at Mobileye, which led to Intel acquiring the company for $15.3 billion. Navon addressed why Intel paid this amount and what it signifies during his talk.
Navon also shared insights from his early career, including participation in the Strategic Defense Initiative under President Ronald Reagan—known as Star Wars—which aimed to prevent Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile attacks on the United States. His work involved creating an infrared scene projector to simulate missiles for testing without actual launches.
Drawing from his experiences with various innovative start-ups, Navon emphasized that both at Mobileye and in Israel there is a drive to improve the world. He stated that technology should be guided by ethics and mentioned teaching an artificial intelligence ethics course at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. "I believe there is a creator and that his will is to fix the world; and I believe that if we do his will, He will help us achieve it," said Navon.
During his visit to Francisco Marroquín University (UFM), Navon was accompanied by Mario Nathusius, former president of UFM’s Board of Trustees, and his wife Dina. They toured UFM’s special collections room at Ludwig von Mises Library with Luis Figueroa, director of Public Relations.
Navon's example highlighted how having a sense of purpose can drive innovation while inspiring ethical action toward positive change.
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