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Astro Teller isn’t afraid of killing ideas; here’s why

From TechCrunch

By Maggie Nye

November 18, 2025

Astro Teller isn’t afraid of killing ideas; here’s why

Astro Teller isn’t afraid of killing ideas; here’s why

TechCrunch’s editor-in-chief, Connie Loizos, sits down with Astro Teller, Captain of Moonshots at Alphabet’s X, to explore what it takes to build a factory for truly game-changing innovation. Astro reveals the three components that define a true moonshot — a huge problem, a science fiction-sounding solution, and a glimmer of breakthrough technology — and why X deliberately kills 98% of its ideas early. Teller also explains why X keeps teams incredibly small, how it decides between spinning companies out independently versus keeping them as Alphabet “other bets” like Waymo and Wing, and his take on AI hype — including we should stop treating it like magic and start treating it like electricity.

StrictlyVC Download posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop.

View original article on techcrunch.com

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