BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:IEEE vTools.Events//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=2SU;BYMONTH=3 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20261101T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=1SU;BYMONTH=11 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20261016T145239Z UID:5A3E62B8-5E91-4EFB-A6FB-41E72BED045B DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261015T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261015T120000 DESCRIPTION:Abstract\n\nEngineering school teaches us to solve difficult pr oblems. The uncomfortable truth you discover after leaving is that the mos t important problems often have no answers.\n\nIn this talk\, I’ll share some lessons from my own journey from engineer to CTO\, founder\, and CEO : taking over and restructuring a startup when survival mattered more than the plan\; challenging industry standards dominated by companies much lar ger than mine\; building and selling a new agentic cybersecurity product f or a problem that barely existed a year earlier\; and confronting new ques tions about identity\, trust\, and security created by autonomous AI.\n\nT here is no safety net in a startup—you can run out of money. There is no answer key when you’re building something new—the future hasn’t bee n written yet. Standards don’t necessarily save you\, because the organi zations defining them have their own interests. And people are wonderfully inconsistent: we resist change we need while embracing other changes we b arely understand.\n\nAI is now accelerating all of this. It is creating en tirely new engineering problems while fundamentally changing how we solve them. I’ve gone from using AI to write software to using it to explore u nfamiliar engineering disciplines\, design physical systems\, and help me build an experimental airplane.\nI’ll argue that this changes what it me ans to be an engineer. Deep expertise still matters\, but as the cost of c rossing disciplinary boundaries collapses\, systems thinking\, curiosity\, judgment\, and the willingness to build may become even more valuable.\n\ nThe future isn’t written. That’s the opportunity.\n\nSpeaker:\nDr. Ja sson Casey\nCo-Founder and CEO\nBeyond Identity\n\nTime & Location:\nThurs day\, October 15\, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM\nENGR 4201\, College of Engi neering and Computing\, George Mason University\n\n** This event is exclus ively for George Mason University students. **\n\nIEEE GMU Student Branch\ n\n[IEEE GMU STB]\n\nCo-sponsored by: ECE Department\, George Mason Univer sity\n\nSpeaker(s): Jasson Casey\, \n\nRoom: 4201\, Bldg: College of Engin eering and Computing\, 4400 University Dr\, Apt 512\, Fairfax\, Virginia\, United States\, 22030 LOCATION:Room: 4201\, Bldg: College of Engineering and Computing\, 4400 Uni versity Dr\, Apt 512\, Fairfax\, Virginia\, United States\, 22030 ORGANIZER:mfasihi4@gmu.edu SEQUENCE:19 SUMMARY:No Safety Net\, No Answer Key: Engineering a Startup in the Age of AI URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/583867 X-ALT-DESC:Description: <br /><div><strong><u data-olk-copy-source="Message Body">Abstract</u></strong></div>\n<div>&nbsp\;</div>\n<div>Engineering sc hool teaches us to solve difficult problems. The uncomfortable truth you d iscover after leaving is that the most important problems often have no an swers.</div>\n<div>&nbsp\;</div>\n<div>In this talk\, I&rsquo\;ll share so me lessons from my own journey from engineer to CTO\, founder\, and CEO: t aking over and restructuring a startup when survival mattered more than th e plan\; challenging industry standards dominated by companies much larger than mine\; building and selling a new agentic cybersecurity product for a problem that barely existed a year earlier\; and confronting new questio ns about identity\, trust\, and security created by autonomous AI.</div>\n <div>&nbsp\;</div>\n<div>There is no safety net in a startup&mdash\;you ca n run out of money. There is no answer key when you&rsquo\;re building som ething new&mdash\;the future hasn&rsquo\;t been written yet. Standards don &rsquo\;t necessarily save you\, because the organizations defining them h ave their own interests. And people are wonderfully inconsistent: we resis t change we need while embracing other changes we barely understand.</div> \n<div>&nbsp\;</div>\n<div>AI is now accelerating all of this. It is creat ing entirely new engineering problems while fundamentally changing how we solve them. I&rsquo\;ve gone from using AI to write software to using it t o explore unfamiliar engineering disciplines\, design physical systems\, a nd help me build an experimental airplane.</div>\n<div>I&rsquo\;ll argue t hat this changes what it means to be an engineer. Deep expertise still mat ters\, but as the cost of crossing disciplinary boundaries collapses\, sys tems thinking\, curiosity\, judgment\, and the willingness to build may be come even more valuable.</div>\n<div>&nbsp\;</div>\n<div>The future isn&rs quo\;t written. That&rsquo\;s the opportunity.</div>\n<div>&nbsp\;</div>\n <div><strong>Speaker:&nbsp\;</strong></div>\n<div>Dr. Jasson Casey\n<div>C o-Founder and CEO</div>\n<div>Beyond Identity</div>\n<div>&nbsp\;</div>\n< div><strong>Time &amp\; Location:</strong></div>\n<div>Thursday\, October 15\, 2026 |&nbsp\;11:00 AM - 12:00 PM&nbsp\;</div>\n<div>ENGR 4201\, Colle ge of Engineering and Computing\, George Mason University</div>\n<div>&nbs p\;</div>\n<div>&nbsp\;</div>\n<div><span style="color: rgb(224\, 62\, 45) \; font-size: 14pt\;">** This event is exclusively for George Mason Univer sity students. **</span></div>\n<div>&nbsp\;</div>\n<div><strong>IEEE GMU Student Branch</strong></div>\n<div>&nbsp\;</div>\n<div><img src="https:// events.vtools.ieee.org/vtools_ui/media/display/dd64fcae-876a-45d1-8547-e92 662f04b20" alt="IEEE GMU STB" width="150" height="150"></div>\n</div> END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR