The SpaceX alumni that are reshaping the space industry
Link here. The article provides a very comprehensive list of the many former SpaceX employees who have left SpaceX to form their own companies, most of which in space or related industries, raising $3 billion in private investment capital.
The list includes a lot of very small operations doing work on the periphery, such as in the health industry or software for a variety of industries, not just space. It also includes some new major space players, such as the orbital tug company Impulse, and the recoverable capsule company Varda.
For some reason the article refers to this new generation of space entrepreneurs as the “SpaceX Mafia”, as if they are teaming up like mobsters to eliminate any competition. This is beyond false. Instead, they are the epitome of competition and the American dream, each forming their own company to push new ideas.
Take a look. It provides a nice and very hopeful overview of the future.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Link here. The article provides a very comprehensive list of the many former SpaceX employees who have left SpaceX to form their own companies, most of which in space or related industries, raising $3 billion in private investment capital.
The list includes a lot of very small operations doing work on the periphery, such as in the health industry or software for a variety of industries, not just space. It also includes some new major space players, such as the orbital tug company Impulse, and the recoverable capsule company Varda.
For some reason the article refers to this new generation of space entrepreneurs as the “SpaceX Mafia”, as if they are teaming up like mobsters to eliminate any competition. This is beyond false. Instead, they are the epitome of competition and the American dream, each forming their own company to push new ideas.
Take a look. It provides a nice and very hopeful overview of the future.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Kinda underselling Tom Mueller — he was, quite literally, SpaceX Employee #1, the Father of the Merlin engine!
But otherwise, not a bad overview of the most notable SpaceX alumni in the space industry now.
There are so many sub-plots in a Mars mission (Life support, radiation protection, food systems, habitats, rovers, etc) that if some of these spin offs generate products or solutions for SPaceX then it is a win-win situation
When you look at the key investors you see the word “Venture” a lot.
Richard M,
I think “most notable” may be overstating the case a bit. These are the ex-SpaceX-ers who are now founders and CEOs. But there are plenty of people who had more consequential careers at SpaceX than most of these folks who are also still involved in space-related and other types of start-ups but in roles other than founders or CEOs.
I think the “SpaceX Mafia” appellation is reffering back to the “Fighter Mafia” wherein a small group of smart people led by John Boyd, subversively undercut the usual design parameters of fighters and came up with the F-16.
Maybe, but when I hear “Fighter Mafia” I think USAF trying to A-10…and anything NOT F-16
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/a-10-warthog-possible-future.41180/#post-864032
The jets on the Navy Vikings would be good replacements. It won’t happen because Air Farce:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/watch-air-force-tried-suppress-10-warthog-movie-188083
I’m disappointed that the authors, Geoff and Julia, didn’t say why they called these eighteen a mafia, but my dictionary includes the definition: “a closed group of people in a particular field, having a controlling influence.”
See also dictionary.com, definition 3:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/mafia
“any small but powerful or influential group in an organization or field; an inordinately prominent and controlling clique.”
Is it possible that they are trying to use an obscure definition to be able to say that they are being complimentary all the while making them sound like a criminal gang from a criminal mastermind’s company? Or maybe Epsilon3’s Laura Crabtree’s comment makes them think that the lot of them are working together: “‘We’re also incredibly loyal,’ she added. ‘There are many people I’ve worked with in the past who are now using Epsilon3 at the companies they started (or joined) after SpaceX.'”
I think the real lesson is that SpaceX became an incubator for people who have their own ideas for startup companies.
I very much like the paragraphs that state what each of them learned by working for SpaceX.
Edward: The two authors likely had nothing to do with the headline. Routinely on mainstream outlets like Business Insider, the headline is written either by someone who specializes in this task, or the editors.
In my freelance career, the headlines I wrote for my articles were rarely used. In fact, the book titles I chose were also rarely used.
This headline reflects the biases of the people who run Business Insider. They are telling us they think anything connected with SpaceX has evil intents.
Robert,
The first two paragraphs also use the word “mafia.” The first paragraph in the context of PayPal, and then transitions into the context of SpaceX, which is again referenced with the word “mafia” in the second paragraph. If the authors had not intended to use that word, then the editor(s) changed those paragraphs as well as the headline.
I can easily believe that the authors had intended to be complimentary toward these entrepreneurs but that the editors want to shape a different attitude in its readers and so modified some of the text, too. The editors may be hostile to more than just SpaceX and intend to be hurtful to Elon Musk himself, as the article reminds us that Musk was part of the original PayPal “mafia” club.
Edward: I had forgotten the word was used in the article as well.
No matter. Its use tells us that there was definitely an effort to spin this negatively, for reasons that are irrational.
It’s not so much a mafia! It is a family run monopoly!!!
You take the best MIT and other schools have to offer, see what they can do for Space X to see if they shine, realize their potential! Look for where a colony on Mars is lacking in which it will need, gift them a goal and funding to rise to the challenge, and set them loose to create the future…
A Space X family of engineers with proven talents rising to the full potential, doing their part in a shared goal to make the future reality now! (An engineering cult)
In essence, don’t train them and then let them go work for your competition… Let them work on all the projects that you need but don’t have time to do yourself! After all, competent people are hard to come by. And if they’re paid well with history of success… Then everybody wins.
As one of the comments in the article says;
“SpaceX was basically when school really started,” Silvernail said. “In university, you really only get to learn fundamentals with some hands-on stuff that you do in your free time. SpaceX gave me the opportunity to focus on developing my engineering skills while getting a massive amount of responsibility right off the bat.”
There you have it, SpaceX is “Advanced university” for skills and products that are not invented yet.
(more than a monopoly that his enemies would want to break up… A family with the same goals and intentions of realizing the future and what it will need… A mafia of like-minded individuals that will have each other‘s back with higher goals then self interest, paving a way for a future for all humanity despite the resistance to their success)
There are a lot of people left off that list, like Elon’s brother who works with “grow lights” inside of containers. Necessary experimentation for ships and habitation (above and below ground) far from the sun.
His boring company, not just for transportation but for mining and habitation tunnels.
Tesla electric cars, because there is no atmosphere on any other planet so all equipment will be electric! With only the best technology for batteries! (A different company)
Can’t forget his robotics, AI development, and human chip interface which he is overseeing himself.
I was worried when the time comes for Elon to send his ships to Mars, if he would have the infrastructure, or the preparation for all possibilities. I see now that that is being taken under consideration… That’s what all these companies are for! He wants to create something that will continue to exist after he’s gone, something that will have a life of its own carrying his torch.
Perhaps that’s what’s behind going public with SpaceX stock? if the right stockholders are in possession of the company, his enemies won’t have such an easy time of stopping him where they almost stop trump…. There is so much riding on just one person, that his dream must be delegated to ensure that it lives well into the future if something should happen to him.
(It’s the opposite of George Soros who has funded his “America destroying companies” with all his accumulated wealth with the purpose of carrying on his legacy of nihilism and destruction with the motive of profit from other people‘s misery)
Max wrote: “if the right stockholders are in possession of the company, his enemies won’t have such an easy time of stopping him where they almost stop trump”
That is a reason to not go public. A private company can make sure that only the right stockholders are in possession of the company, but a public company has no control, and the wrong people begin to buy up the company.
Other reasons to not go public include the extra paperwork, in which the internal operations of the company become public knowledge, and the fiduciary responsibilities that can reduce the freedom of the company to take risks, like spending huge sums of money building a colony on another planet when there are few clear ways to make a profit. SpaceX is not a non-profit, and if it was, a non-profit cannot publicly sell stock.