Berkeley Prof's Students Launch AI Firms, Join NASA

When Aravind Srinivas arrived at UC Berkeley in 2020, he faced an immediate setback: Professor Pieter Abbeel's robotics lab was full. But Srinivas didn't walk away.

Instead, he proposed working with Abbeel for six months to prove his worth. What followed was such an intense research sprint that Abbeel's main advice became a recurring question: "Did you sleep?"

Srinivas admitted he couldn't afford to rest until he officially joined the lab. After earning that spot and completing what Abbeel calls "a really amazing Ph.D.," Srinivas went on to work at OpenAI before founding Perplexity, an AI company that answers questions with verified sources.

His story is just one example of the extraordinary students who have passed through Abbeel's labs. The electrical engineering and computer sciences professor recently shared these success stories during Berkeley's "Brilliance of Berkeley" speaker series in April 2026.

Another standout is Woody Hoburg, who arrived from MIT in 2011 with an unlikely dream. He told Abbeel he knew becoming a NASA astronaut was "effectively zero" probability, but he was determined to try anyway.

"If I can make it from 0.1 to 1 by giving it my all, that's what I'm going to do," Hoburg said. He earned his Ph.D. at Berkeley, joined NASA's 2017 astronaut class, and piloted the SpaceX Crew-6 mission in 2023, spending 186 days in space.

The Ripple Effect

Abbeel's former students and postdoctoral researchers have collectively co-founded over a dozen AI and robotics companies. They've contributed to major research advances that are shaping how artificial intelligence works today.

But Abbeel says their brilliance isn't what impresses him most. "All of them are super nice," he explains, emphasizing they're kind not just to supervisors but to peers and newcomers alike.

It's that combination of talent and generosity that creates lasting change. When ambitious people lift others while climbing, the entire field moves forward faster.

These Berkeley graduates are now leading AI companies, advancing robotics research, and yes, even exploring space. Their journeys started with rejection, long nights, and seemingly impossible odds, yet each one found a way through.