Eric Deng

Career path

From robotics research to autonomous driving product

Eric's background spans three areas of mobility technology: robotics engineering at Facebook, advanced driver assistance at Uber ATG, and autonomous driving at Waymo. Across each role he has worked on multi-agent systems, human-robot interaction, and the technical development and commercialization of core technologies.

He is part of the Self-Driven Women speaker community, sharing his experience with students and professionals pursuing careers in autonomy and mobility.

Nayana Suvarna and Cindy Heredia also feature in the Self-Driven Women speaker lineup.

Eric Deng is a Product Manager at Waymo, where he works with teams building software that helps autonomous vehicles behave safely and comfortably around cyclists, motorcyclists, and other micromobility users. His work sits at the intersection of robotics, planning, and human-robot interaction, translating complex multi-agent behavior into software that real people experience on real streets. The events program invites him to talk about what it takes to build products for driverless technology in a city like Pittsburgh, where road conditions and user behavior make every edge case visible.

Before joining Waymo, Eric was a Product Manager at Uber ATG, driving the technical development and commercialization strategy for a portfolio of core technologies. He spent his career moving between research labs, startups, and large companies, which gives him a practical view of how autonomous driving systems move from prototype to deployed product. Earlier in his path he worked as a Robotics Engineer at Facebook, and his academic foundation in engineering, controls, and computer science continues to shape how he frames problems, especially around motion planning and automated systems.

Eric has also interned with teams ranging from biorobotics labs to automotive and venture-backed companies, and he built early experience through university robotics clubs and student organizations where he held leadership roles. He earned an MBA and remains an active mentor and candidate for the Waymo community, giving back to students pursuing similar paths in mobility, engineering, and business. His perspective is useful for anyone asking how product managers grow in the autonomy field, how multi-agent systems are designed, and how ethical, sustainable values get aligned with shipping real vehicles.