About a week ago, my mom left her job at May Mobility—an autonomous vehicle startup based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
During her 1.5 years at May Mobility, the company launched its shuttle service in Grand Rapids, MN, and raised $111 million in Series C funding.
This post shares (1) how I got her the job and (2) my closing thoughts.
How did I get her the job?
Part I: The Pandemic
The pandemic got me invested in my mom’s career.
We were stuck at home, so I had front-row seats to her daily experiences.
This fascinated me because I was a latchkey kid in grade school. I’d return to an empty house, and my mom wouldn’t come home until 7pm.
And when she arrived, I didn’t care about her job. I was just glad to spend time together. Said another way: I viewed my mom as someone who worked to provide and not as an industry professional with career aspirations.
She still worked late during the pandemic, but now her work happened at home.
And I took full advantage of this opportunity. We ate lunch together and had “water cooler” conversations everyday.
Part II: Startup Obsession & Internship Recruiting
If you ask my mom about our pandemic lunches, she’d highlight my newfound startup and venture capital obsession.
I’d present case studies on successful & failed startups and share intriguing early-stage companies.
Also around this time—late 2020—I began recruiting for summer internships. With my career interests in mind, she shared personalized advice that guided me through the process.
Part III: Flipped the Script
After accepting my offer—early 2021—I asked my mom,
“What’s your next career move?”
She initially laughed it off, but I was dead serious.
Her professional development became the focus of our shared pandemic meals. And from observing her work patterns the last 10 months, my opinions had merit.
Throughout this time, my passion for venture capital persisted, which rubbed off on her because one day she said,
“I want to work at a startup”
The rest of the story is pretty straightforward. I googled “startups in Ann Arbor” and found a company & role that matched her background.
Months later, she became May Mobility’s Director of Engineering.
TL;DR—I googled “startups in Ann Arbor” and found a company & role that matched her background
Closing Thoughts
While this experience was centered around my mom, it was also an inflection point in my career.
As for what’s next, I’m excited for her to begin a new chapter. But I’m not going to lie—this moment is bittersweet.
I've been at every step of her May Mobility journey and even visited the office for her going-away party.
In a way, it feels like I’m leaving the company too.
PS—I know I write this on every post, but shoot me a message if you enjoyed this story. I’d love to hear from you.