If you've ever pondered what it would be like if a robot-building lifestyle collided with tongue-in-cheek humor and unsolicited honesty, then Simone Giertz, also known as the 'Queen of Shitty Robots,' is the name you need to remember. Born as Anna Ellinor Giertz in Sweden on November 1, 1990, she dared to step where few would venture: into creating purposefully imperfect yet brilliantly creative robots. Simone’s channel exploded on YouTube around 2015 from her San Francisco-based workshop, where she shared creations ranging from a head-kicking wake-up machine to an overly-excited chopping robot. She's garnered more than a million followers, proving that people crave authenticity wrapped in wacky inventiveness.
Why does Simone matter? Giertz is the refreshingly raw antithesis to the polished, pretentious tech world, where feedback is harvested like it’s the next big organic trend. Her success challenges the monotonous norm of all-too-perfect gadgets and throws a wrench into the liberal tech utopia mindset that often belittles unconventional attempts. Simone embraces imperfection with a delightful smirk, finding humor in failure—a concept nearly heretical in the age of curated social media personas where everyone pretends perfection is both necessary and feasible.
She comes from an eclectic background. Her mother, a liberal Euro parliament journalist, and her father, a computer scientist, laid an intellectual foundation, but it was Simone who blended tech with the artistry of absurdity. Interestingly, it wasn’t just mechanical arms that captured her attention. Giertz also launched a creative career initially as an editor on a Swedish TV show. Her big break, however, was when she ventured into hacking everyday items with playful comedic twists only a mechanical misfit could design.
Giertz’s journey is as random and unpredictable as the robots she constructs. She learned to build robots not through formal education in engineering but through divine YouTube tutorials and hands-on practice. Her story strikes a chord, challenging the overly romanticized view of traditional learning that the liberal education system often champions. Why debate if university degrees are still the primary benchmark for success when a woman like Simone can rise to influence by equipping herself with mere curiosity and perseverance?
Her workshop isn’t a high-tech laboratory brimming with pristine robotic arms. Instead, it’s a cluttered space bursting with tools that look like an extension of her persona—imperfect, mischievous, and full of potential. From screwing bolts into makeshift parts to connecting wires with equal parts hope and duct-tape magic, her workspace celebrates ingenuity over sleek design. Simone’s tools throw a haymaker at society's fixated obsession with slick aesthetics and perfectly curated workplaces.
Despite facing challenges, including undergoing brain tumor surgery in 2018, Simone continued to push boundaries. Her charm lies in speaking truth to power with a screwdriver in hand. The tumor forced her to pause, but it never defeated her. It further highlighted how deeply rooted her resolve is in confronting adversity with humor, a concept that starkly contrasts with the maudlin self-pity that some embrace.
Simone’s groundbreaking project wasn’t housed under a corporate umbrella; instead, it involved repurposing a Tesla Model 3 into the world’s first electric pickup truck. She named it 'Truckla,' a thumb-your-nose moment to automotive giants over-promising yet under-delivering electric utilities. It shook the sustainability narrative, making a point that real-world impact can come from individual visionary efforts, and not only from massively funded green initiatives that liberals brandish without end.
Giertz is more than a robotic inventor; she’s a commentary on what genuine creativity looks like. She defies the stereotype that solid achievement is the mandate of institutionalized innovation. Her presence in the male-dominated tech sector signposts a bridge between the timid and the daredevils of DIY culture that doesn’t toe a conventional party line.
So, what does it all add up to? Simone Giertz isn’t just creating quirky robots; she’s building a community where failure is just a data point en route to success, and ideas, no matter how zany, merit exploration. Through humor and humility, she shatters the illusion of perfect solutions, proving that sometimes, the best innovations arise when you allow yourself to laugh at your own error and craft success out of chaos.