10 Things You Didn’t Know About Waze CEO Noam Bardin
The popular GPS navigation app Waze has changed the way many people drive these days. Its community-driven platform is unique and useful in many ways, but users either love it or hate it. Perhaps there’s no bigger fan of the app other than top Wazer and co-founder Noam Bardin. Bardin founded Waze in 2009, and the streets have never been the same. The co-founder is still currently working for the brand, serving as CEO. Although Bardin maintains a lowly public profile, he is regarded as one of the industry’s most successful businessmen. Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Noam Bardin.
1. He’s of Jewish descent.
Bardin is currently a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and it’s likely because of his occupation. The area is known to house some of computer tech’s most brilliant minds, and Bardin is one of them. Bardin, however, is not native to the US. In fact, Waze was originally created for people to have a digital map of the Holy Land in Israel. Bardin was part of a group of Jewish creators that turned Waze into the app that it is now.
2. He went to a Jewish university.
Israel is known to have excellent schools, so it’s no surprise that Bardin opted to attend university there even when he probably could’ve gone to school anywhere. Bardin received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. The university is one of the best research schools globally, and his attendance there only prepared Bardin for his future endeavors.
3. He’s a Harvard alumnus.
After graduating from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bardin relocated to Massachusetts in order to attend Harvard for his graduate studies. Bardin received his Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Bardin’s transition to phone software apps may be interesting and curious because of his educational background, but he ties it all in somehow in the end.
4. He wants to save the world.
It’s a lofty goal for anybody, but somehow for Noam it’s highly achievable. It was during his attendance in graduate school that he professed his wish to one day save the world. It’s hard to tell whether Bardin had already begun his mission, but he does believe he can make it happen one GPS point at a time. At any rate, Bardin has definitely changed the way we navigate our roads. Perhaps that’s one way he has already begun to save the world.
5. He worked for the Special Forces.
Before Google, Waze, or even Deltathree, Bardin had another occupation that might seem unlikely. At one point in his life, Bardin served as an Officer for the Israeli Special Forces. Though it might a lifetime ago for the businessman today, we can only imagine the kind of discipline and skills Bardin might’ve picked up from that time in his career. All we know is that Bardin is not the guy to be messed with.
6. He believes in carpooling.
Bardin is a practical and rational thinker. Because of his crowdsourcing navigation app, we can imagine that he probably thinks about driving a lot. Bardin appreciates the idea of self-driving cars, but he doesn’t believe they will make the roads a better place for anyone. He believes that there are too many cars and not enough roads and spaces. The solution to this car overcrowding would be to promote carpooling and simply have fewer cars on the road.
7. He’s a Google Vice President.
It’s an incredible thing to be a Vice President for Google, but it does lose a little bit of its weight when you find out that Google has about 35 vice presidents. It’s understandable that a company of that size would have the need for that many vice presidents. Regardless, it’s still an incredible achievement for the Waze co-founder.
8. He’s an excellent speaker.
There’s a reason why you can find plenty of quotes from Bardin online, and you can also directly inquire about having him speak at your next engagement online. Bardin happens to be an excellent and much sought after speaker. Bardin is passionate about making a change in the transportation industry and as mentioned before, saving the world. He knows his destination, so he’s likely to be a good person to follow and emulate. Bardin generally speaks about business, communication, and technology. He speaks about the world we live in and how we can change it for the better.
9. He likes start ups.
Things may be different from Bardin now, but there was a time when he enjoyed working on early stage startups and eventually watching them grow. Before he found his success with Waze, he worked for a few startups that have expanded and grown over the years. In truth, it’s one of the sacrifices he makes daily as he works with Google. Although Google gives Waze a little bit of freedom, Bardin and his company still have to abide by Google’s rules.
10. He’s a family man.
Even though he’s a big leader in the outside world, Bardin is actually overtaken at home by his girls. Barden lives with his wife and two daughters, and it seems even the family dog is a girl. He may not have to bargain at work, but he surely has to bargain at home. He’s the underdog when it comes to the family, but he doesn’t mind one bit. It’s nice to relinquish power once in a while, and there’s no better way to do it than for those you love. Perhaps this is another way that Bardin is saving the world—starting with himself and starting at home.
