From Grit to Growth: Building Autonomy from the Ground Up with Charlie Anderson–Episode 29

In this episode, host William Klaassen digs into the world of autonomous equipment with Charlie Anderson, CEO of Burro. From humble beginnings in an unheated barn to deploying over 500 autonomous systems globally, Charlie shares how his childhood on a working farm—and a serious distaste for hopping off tractors to weed—sparked a mission to automate labor-intensive tasks in agriculture. 

Charlie unpacks the hard truths about innovation in agriculture: the challenges of scaling autonomy in heterogeneous environments, why big manufacturers are slow to adapt, and how Burro is building a platform for safe, smart mobility near people—indoors and out. 

Whether you're in tech, horticulture, or just love seeing robots make life easier, this episode offers both grounded insight and forward-looking vision on the future of work in agriculture. 

“A great robot is really boring—it just does the thing.” – Charlie Anderson 

Charlie Anderson shares his remarkable journey—from growing up on a Pennsylvania fruit and vegetable farm to working at Case New Holland and ultimately founding Burro. He explains why specialty crops are the most promising entry point for automation—not because they’re the largest markets, but because they carry the heaviest labor demands. 

Charlie describes how Burro quite literally started building autonomy from the ground up, testing small vehicles in tough real-world environments, and learning how to handle obstacles, regulations, and even standoffs with curious border collies. 

They explore how Burro has evolved from simple towing carts to a robust product lineup that includes spraying, mowing, and patrolling, all while staying true to a “platform, not vertical” vision—allowing growers and partners to layer their own innovations on top. The conversation highlights creative ways growers are adapting Burro for everything from security to logistics, showing the flexibility of a system designed to scale across diverse operations. 

Looking ahead, Charlie offers insights into how generative AI is reshaping the autonomy landscape, why the best robots are the most “boring” (in a good way), and what’s next for Burro as they prepare for massive growth.  

Charlie’s book recommendation: The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton Christensen  

🚜 Learn more about Burro: www.burro.ai