In the small hours of  a recent Monday morning, I found myself up at 13000 ft, trudging through a snow chute on the way to Mt. Whitney with two colleagues and absolutely zero mountaineering experience.

 As I labored clumsily through the snow with my crampons and ice ax, I wondered just for a moment why on earth would I challenge this icy slope when I could be lounging back in sunny San Diego? The answer, of course, was simple: the people of Shield AI.

The greatest thing about working at Shield AI is being surrounded by teammates who are passionate about so many different things. Their zest for life is tangible and infectious. (Almost) inevitably, I find myself doing things well outside my comfort zone, be it practicing self-arrest on a mountain or braving a hip hop class with my two left feet.

Though our interests vary, the one theme I find across our team is dedication to craft and the pursuit of excellence. Everyone here — from hardware to software, to business and operations — is driven to be great at what they do.

Working at Shield AI is like going through constant metamorphosis. It’s not forced upon you. Rather, the people around you motivate you with their work ethic and excellence. You just can’t help but feel inspired to want to be part of that greatness. You push yourself to climb higher because the person next to you is going just as hard and you don’t want to let your teammates down. Together we take the next step and the next one, even — and perhaps especially — when it’s uncomfortable and it’d be a whole lot easier to stop than to keep going.

At the core of innovation is the willingness to embrace change, to put in the hard work, and, most importantly, to never stop.  At Shield AI, the people around you are with you on this journey to grow and be great. In and out of the office, we’re a team that inspires one another. And when we reach the summit, we ask — what’s next?