Hisashi Taniguchi used a sabbatical from developing software for driverless taxis and drones to take a pilgrimage to a Buddhist temple in western Japan. He shaved his head, donned black robes and studied to become its leader.
He passed the test, yet within a week was back at the Tokyo offices of ZMP Inc., overseeing his robotics company in the more typical garb of jeans and red Converse sneakers. As ZMP¡¯s founder and chief executive officer, he tries to sync millenniums-old teachings with efforts to make artificial intelligence part of everyday life.
¡°The temple teaches you that if you shine, you¡¯ll shed light on those around you,¡± Taniguchi, 52, said. ¡°Business is the same: products that are useful bring light to others.¡±
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