X, The Moonshot Factory

In the latest episode of the Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive series, X’s Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller sat down with CIAT scientist David Guerena. They discussed plant breeding, the challenges facing smallholder farmers around the world, and how the tools Mineral developed are now helping plant breeders grow more resilient crops: https://lnkd.in/gPj2bC8J #TheMoonshotPodcast

The Moonshot Podcast was nominated for two Listener’s Choice Signal Awards—and we’d love your vote! If you enjoyed hearing from the inventors, designers, engineers, and technologists behind our moonshot projects, you can vote for us in two categories: ✂️ Best Editing: https://lnkd.in/ghszdr4d 🔍 Best Science & Education Podcast: https://lnkd.in/eTdAg-7V 🎧 Voting closes on October 9. And if you haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast yet, you can check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gvnBRM93 #TheMoonshotPodcast

Humans use nearly 300 million metric tons of oil annually to make plastic products—and more than 100 million tons of that same plastic is dumped into landfills each year. Materra, X’s moonshot for circularity, recently partnered with Alterra to explore how our technology could help enable their pyrolysis process: a cutting-edge technique that transforms plastic waste back into the oil needed to make more plastics. Using Materra’s AI-powered molecular vision platform, the team identified and sorted plastic waste with the proper components needed for pyrolysis, and then routed them to Alterra’s facility in Ohio. As a result, Alterra was able to produce 40,000 pounds of virgin-quality oil derived 100 percent from the materials provided by Materra. This collaboration proved for the first time that Materra’s platform can work for pyrolysis at commercial scale in an industrial environment. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/grtbATmk #materra

🚀 X, The Moonshot Factory's new MasterClass Certificate course, “Breakthrough Innovation Strategy: From Bold Ideas to Business Impact,” shares our playbook for bringing radical ideas to life. 🧠 The course, developed in partnership with MasterClass, features lessons on prototyping, partnerships, storytelling and more from Astro Teller and other leaders at The Moonshot Factory. If you’re a manager or leader interested in unlocking innovation and driving positive impact in your organization, enrollment is now open: https://lnkd.in/gdVrsRs9 John "Ivo" Stivoric, Joseph Sargent, Julia Ling, Page Crahan, Libby Leahy, Jacquelyn Marker 

“Cells are nature’s most powerful living factories, capable of producing almost any molecule imaginable.” A-Life, X’s moonshot for unlocking the manufacturing power of biology, uses AI to determine the most efficient processes for creating the things we use every day using living cells like yeast and bacteria. Here’s how the technology works: https://lnkd.in/g3bQZigH

“Our mission is to invent and launch moonshot technologies to make the world a better place—but we operate at the intersection of purpose and profit. The goal is to create profitable, enduring businesses.” X’s CFO and Chief Operating Officer, Helen Riley, sat down with the WSJ Leadership Institute’s Gwendolyn (Wendy) Bounds to discuss The Moonshot Factory’s process for evaluating world-changing ideas and systematizing radical innovation. Watch the video to hear the full conversation, including which risks are worth taking, why partnerships outside organizations are a critical piece of the puzzle, the key milestones to consider when pursuing audacious goals, and more: https://lnkd.in/gRdqxJ2z

X’s Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller sat down with Manoush Zomorodi on NPR’s TED Radio Hour for a conversation about our moonshot-taking philosophies. He discussed how self-driving cars evolved from a radical idea to reality, why we call ourselves “chaos pilots,” how the “moonshot compost” from past projects makes its way into new pursuits, and why it’s essential not to take yourself too seriously even while working on serious challenges. Check out the full episode: https://lnkd.in/gR_Q54ig