It seems premature to declare moonshots or even Silicon Valley dead, as three tech reporters claim in their March 2 article called “The age of the Silicon Valley ‘moonshot’ is over”. While Alphabet’s X division isn’t bringing their glucose-monitoring contacts to market (at last not today), as they note, it turns out that Apple has been working on a similar ‘moonshot’ since the Steve Jobs’ era.
As long-time residents of Silicon Valley and global experts on building moonshots, our experience shows that moonshots aren’t defined by product cycles and the latest funding fads. Alongside the most recent set of layoffs and market resets, other companies in Silicon Valley—and across the globe—continue to invest in the long view. Whether it’s breakthroughs in quantum computing or nuclear fusion, efforts of teams young and old will lead to entirely new fields of knowledge.
Far from proclaiming the end, shouldn’t we be thankful that these types of teams exist who have the courage to imagine the almost impossible from aqueducts to mRNA vaccines and support their tenacity to pursue these big dreams?
Wander and listen
Do you have your bonus chapter yet? This free chapter is called "Way 55: Wander and listen", available to any reader who (pre-)orders a copy of our book. In this same spirit, we share some examples and hints of moonshot thinking and doing all around us, starting with mentions in news media, and link them to specific Moonshot Ways from our Building Moonshots book.
Technology Review
March 8, 2023
Sam Altman invested $180 million into a company trying to delay death
He says he’s emptied his bank account to fund two other very different but equally ambitious goals: limitless energy and extended life span… “I basically just took all my liquid net worth and put it into these two companies,” Altman says.
▶️ Moonshot Way 2: Start from the almost impossible
▶️ Moonshot Way 35: Double down on breakthroughs
The Guardian
March 12, 2023
“…said [Patagonia’s] chief executive, Ryan Gellert, sitting in his wood-paneled office. “The idea of ultimately running a regenerative business, that is the biggest idea that we’re capable of, and we’re a long, long way from realizing that.”
▶️ Moonshot Way 1: Always focus on the long view
▶️ Moonshot Way 24: Be responsible visionaries
Financial Times
March 9, 2023
‘Fictional intelligence’ can blind us to real-world dangers
But faced with the tech future arriving on fast-forward, policymakers and strategists have increasingly been resorting to science fiction writers to help them imagine what is accelerating towards us.
▶️ Moonshot Way 9: Devour hard science fiction
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