In today’s fast-moving technology landscape, the engineers shaping tomorrow’s products are no longer just specialists — they’re explorers. Few embody this shift better than Sze Hou Loh, a Product Design Engineer at Google whose career has spanned electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and now consumer wearables. For Loh, curiosity isn’t a personality trait — it’s a professional strategy.
Loh’s journey began at Georgia Tech, where he studied Mechanical Engineering and immersed himself in research that challenged conventional approaches to materials science. Working in the university’s Electrochemical Systems and Clean Energy Lab, he contributed to projects on alternate cathode materials designed to reduce dependence on rare earth metals — a growing priority in sustainable manufacturing. The experience taught him something that would define his career: innovation often starts with asking better questions.
After university, Loh applied that mindset at Tesla, where he interned as a Cell Engineering specialist on the 4680 battery program. It was a role grounded in validation and performance testing, but it also exposed him to the broader ecosystem of how hardware products are brought to life — from chemistry to mechanical integration. “Those months at Tesla gave me a real sense of the complexity behind every seemingly simple product decision,” Loh recalls. “You realize that curiosity — not certainty — is what drives solutions forward.”
That philosophy guided his next move to Enphase Energy, where he worked as a Mechanical Engineer developing the Powerpack 1500, a commercial energy storage system that later earned a design patent in Australia and New Zealand. There, Loh discovered a deeper interest in product design engineering — a field that blends mechanical rigor with user experience and manufacturability. “I’ve always been drawn to roles that let me bridge disciplines,” he says. “Design engineering lets you see the full lifecycle of a product, from concept sketches to real-world performance.”
At Google, Loh joined the Pixel Watch team, contributing to the design of mechanical components in one of the company’s most ambitious hardware lines. For him, the project represented both a culmination and an evolution — the kind of challenge that demands both deep technical fluency and a willingness to continuously learn. As the wearable technology sector grows at double-digit rates annually, the expectations on engineers have shifted toward adaptability, cross-functional collaboration, and a willingness to question assumptions that once felt fundamental.
Across the tech industry, that shift is becoming a defining characteristic of success. A 2024 Deloitte report found that 72% of engineering leaders now rank “curiosity and learning agility” above technical specialization when hiring for high-impact teams. Loh’s career path echoes that sentiment — moving from energy systems to consumer electronics, guided by the same instinct to keep learning. “When you’re early in your career,” he says, “the most valuable thing you can do is explore — figure out what you enjoy, what you’re good at, and where you can make the biggest impact.”
It’s a message that resonates beyond engineering. In an era when technology cycles outpace traditional career planning, curiosity isn’t just a differentiator — it’s a survival skill. And for professionals like Sze Hou Loh, it remains the quiet engine driving every breakthrough.
