Today, we have an episode with Chris Power, the founder and CEO of Hadrian. Hadrian is a company trying to build the most efficient factories on the planet.
In this conversation, we’ll introduce the audience to advanced manufacturing, and expose them to the reality that it’s a remnant of the first space race. We also cover the challenge of manufacturing, the importance of visibility in complex systems, the killer app for space, how simplifying the world of atoms can be done through bits – and ultimately, what kind of experimentation that may unlock.
Show Notes
0:00 – Introduction
1:28 – What is advanced manufacturing?
4:18 – When a hatch is jammed at the ISS
6:11 – What’s happened since Space Race 1?
8:56 – A retiring workforce
13:20 – What is at stake?
21:03 – Onshoring manufacturing
24:06 – Is capital enough?
24:43 – Fixing the problem with technology
28:55 – Convincing the old guard
31:20 – Building a new culture
34:45 – Experimenting with hardware
37:24 – The value of observability
41:47 – The cost of timeliness
46:09 – Hadrian’s key risks
49:22 – Why Hadrian pivoted
52:22 – What talent is needed
57:31 – Why focus on space first?
1:03:38 – The killer app of space
1:10:36 – Who inspires Chris?
More About This Podcast
The a16z Podcast discusses the most important ideas within technology with the people building it. Each episode aims to put listeners ahead of the curve, covering topics like AI, energy, genomics, space, and more.