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Privateer’s Steve Wozniak, Alex Fielding, and Dr. Moriba Jah on the Data Highway Above

Many people consider space to be the next frontier and equally an infinite horizon to explore. But the reality is that not all “space” is the same and there are strategic zones that don’t only matter up there – but down here on Earth. Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) is one of those regions – a zone filled with satellites that support life on Earth, from agriculture to climate to navigation to defense. Unfortunately, these live satellites are not alone in our space highways. LEO is getting increasingly clogged with space debris; we’re polluting our skies just like we’re polluting our land. In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with all three cofounders of Privateer – Steve Wozniak, Alex Fielding, and Dr. Moriba Jah, as they explore just how much junk is up there, how this challenge is expected to progress with time due to lower launch costs, and ultimately, what infrastructure is missing in this fragile ecosystem – from tracking to global treaties to a sharing economy of satellites. By the end of the episode, listeners should be more equipped to understand how our infrastructure in space vastly impacts life on Earth, how the preservation of this ecosystem is crucial, and how Privateer is providing the map to better understand and fix the issue. Topics covered: 00:00 - Intro 3:31 - Why space and why now? 9:10 - The changing perception around space 13:51 - Exponential technologies and thinking different 16:56 - Inventors vs engineers vs visionaries 19:11 - Early days at Apple and moving towards the future 21:19 - Steve’s personal fascinations 24:28 - How vocabulary drives awareness 25:12 - Is space really an infinite void? 26:28 - The growing pollution in space 29:48 - The impact of space down on Earth 31:11 - The challenge of space policy and governance 39:04 - Orbital highways and carrying capacities 41:45 - Dependence on space infrastructure and its fragility 45:57 - Privateer’s role in the evolving ecosystem 47:36 - Democratizing space through data sharing 50:31 - Can we undo the damage that’s been done? 52:53 - Determining intent in space 59:17 - Talent needed in the space industry 1:02:09 - Privateer’s biggest challenges 1:10:36 - Space stewardship and Hawaii’s kuleana 1:16:41 - Who inspires Alex? 1:23:27 - Woz returns! Resources: * Privateer’s website: https://mission.privateer.com/ * Privateer’s Wayfinder tool: https://mission.privateer.com/ * Privateer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrivateerSpace * Steve Wozniak on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevewoz * Alex Fielding on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alex__Fielding * Dr. Moriba Jah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/moribajah Stay Updated: * Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z * Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z * Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ * Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Steve WozniakguestSteph SmithhostAlex FieldingguestDr. Moriba Jahguest

Nov 9, 20221h 26mWatch on YouTube ↗

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EPISODE INFO

Released: November 9, 2022
Duration: 1h 26m
Channel: a16z
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Many people consider space to be the next frontier and equally an infinite horizon to explore. But the reality is that not all “space” is the same and there are strategic zones that don’t only matter up there – but down here on Earth. Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) is one of those regions – a zone filled with satellites that support life on Earth, from agriculture to climate to navigation to defense. Unfortunately, these live satellites are not alone in our space highways. LEO is getting increasingly clogged with space debris; we’re polluting our skies just like we’re polluting our land. In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with all three cofounders of Privateer – Steve Wozniak, Alex Fielding, and Dr. Moriba Jah, as they explore just how much junk is up there, how this challenge is expected to progress with time due to lower launch costs, and ultimately, what infrastructure is missing in this fragile ecosystem – from tracking to global treaties to a sharing economy of satellites. By the end of the episode, listeners should be more equipped to understand how our infrastructure in space vastly impacts life on Earth, how the preservation of this ecosystem is crucial, and how Privateer is providing the map to better understand and fix the issue. Topics covered: 00:00 - Intro 3:31 - Why space and why now? 9:10 - The changing perception around space 13:51 - Exponential technologies and thinking different 16:56 - Inventors vs engineers vs visionaries 19:11 - Early days at Apple and moving towards the future 21:19 - Steve’s personal fascinations 24:28 - How vocabulary drives awareness 25:12 - Is space really an infinite void? 26:28 - The growing pollution in space 29:48 - The impact of space down on Earth 31:11 - The challenge of space policy and governance 39:04 - Orbital highways and carrying capacities 41:45 - Dependence on space infrastructure and its fragility 45:57 - Privateer’s role in the evolving ecosystem 47:36 - Democratizing space through data sharing 50:31 - Can we undo the damage that’s been done? 52:53 - Determining intent in space 59:17 - Talent needed in the space industry 1:02:09 - Privateer’s biggest challenges 1:10:36 - Space stewardship and Hawaii’s kuleana 1:16:41 - Who inspires Alex? 1:23:27 - Woz returns! Resources:
Privateer’s website: https://mission.privateer.com/
Privateer’s Wayfinder tool: https://mission.privateer.com/
Privateer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrivateerSpace
Steve Wozniak on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevewoz
Alex Fielding on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alex__Fielding
Dr. Moriba Jah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/moribajah
Stay Updated:
Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z
Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/
Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio
Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

SPEAKERS

Steve Wozniak
guest
Apple co-founder and engineer; co-founder of Privateer focused on space sustainability.
Steph Smith
host
Host of the a16z podcast and interviewer for this episode.
Alex Fielding
guest
CEO and co-founder of Privateer; entrepreneur focused on space data and sustainability.
Dr. Moriba Jah
guest
Astrodynamicist and space environmentalist; co-founder of Privateer with NASA/AFRL background.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Steve Wozniak and Steph Smith, Privateer’s Steve Wozniak, Alex Fielding, and Dr. Moriba Jah on the Data Highway Above explores privateer's Founders Warn of Space Debris and Push Open Data Steve Wozniak explains he joined Privateer through his friend Alex Fielding, framing space cleanup like tidying a messy house and stressing transparency, with reflections on inventors versus engineers and iterating toward the future.

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