"Train the Monkey First" — How Google Built a Moonshot Factory | Astro Teller (Captain of Moonshots)
Podcast: Future Around & Find OutPublished On: Tue Mar 17 2026
Description: How do you build a system for turning wild ideas into world-changing innovations? Astro Teller, Captain of Moonshots at X, The Moonshot Factory, has spent over 15 years leading Google’s audacious innovation lab—the birthplace of Waymo, Google Brain, and other breakthrough projects.In this special episode, recorded live in Austin at last year's SXSW, Astro shares the playbook to create a moonshot factory.(I'm at this year's SXSW right now and you'll hear all about it soon. If you are here, drop me a line and let's meet up!)What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The “Train the Monkey First” approach to innovationWhy audacity, humility, and intellectual honesty are key to moonshotsHow your org can get more 10x (not +10%) outcomes — and how to avoid the “innovator’s dilemma”Why you should “greenlight everything” and then redlight most projects quickly, following kill criteria you’ve agreed to in advanceWhere X is placing bets today, including climate-tech, modernizing the electric grid and bioengineering---Future Around & Find Out newsletter and podcast: https://www.futurearound.com
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