Podcasts · Technology · Science

The Moonshot Podcast

X, The Moonshot Factory

31 episodes · in order

The Moonshot Podcast chronicles the untold stories of innovation - both highs and lows - from inside Google’s Moonshot Factory. In Season 2, Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller sits down with a new crop of moonshot takers exploring the next frontiers in health, biology, computing and more. From energy kites and robotic pants, to sea fuel and digital immune systems, go behind the scenes with the inventors and creators working to turn "what if" into what’s next.

Episodes

  1. The Moonshot Podcast Season 1 Trailer

    · 1:00 · Trailer

    Premiering March 10th! The Moonshot Podcast chronicles the untold stories of innovation - both highs and lows - from 15 years inside Google’s Moonshot Factory. Go behind the scenes with the inventors and creators…

  2. Driving The Future

    · 54 min · S1 E1

    Fifteen years ago, the world thought self-driving cars were impossible - even the experts doubted it. Today, they’re on the road. In this inaugural episode of The Moonshot Podcast, join Astro Teller inside X,…

  3. Essential Connections

    · 48 min · S1 E2

    Nearly 3 billion people still don’t have a reliable internet connection. In this episode of The Moonshot Podcast, Astro Teller dives into X’s decade-long mission to bring fast, reliable and affordable connectivity to…

  4. Machines That Think – The AI Moonshot

    · 46 min · S1 E3

    Artificial Intelligence is reshaping everything - but how did we get here? Dive deep with Astro Teller into the origins of Google Brain, meeting Andrew Ng and Jeff Dean, two of AI’s early pioneers. Their innovations…

  5. Feeding The World

    · 47 min · S1 E4

    Agriculture is the world’s oldest industry – and it’s racing to meet one of the newest and biggest challenges of our time: how to feed a growing global population that will soon hit 10 billion people. In this episode,…

  6. Living With Robots

    · 59 min · S1 E5

    Robots are at the heart of sci-fi, visions of the future, but what if that future is now? And what if those robots, helping us at work and at home, are simply an extension of the tools we’ve used for millions of years?…

  7. Trash to Treasure

    · 54 min · S1 E6

    What if waste wasn’t the end of the story – but the start of something new? In this episode of The Moonshot Podcast, we explore Delta, a Moonshot to help feed the millions of Americans facing food insecurity, and X’s…

  8. Fires, Floods and Future-Proofing

    · 39 min · S1 E7

    Natural disasters will keep coming — but what if we could stay one step ahead? That’s the mission of Bellwether, a moonshot working to build a “crystal ball” for the natural world. Their team is uniting the talents and…

  9. Powering Up

    · 41 min · S1 E8

    Energy might just be the ultimate moonshot – because if we can make it affordable, abundant and dependable long-term, it could improve life for all 8.2 billion people on Earth. In this episode, we follow two bold…

  10. Supersenses

    · 46 min · S1 E9

    What if, rather than making you distracted, your smart device helped you be more present? In this episode, we revisit the early days of Google Glass: a bold Moonshot that opened up new ways of seeing and being in the…

  11. Prototyping The Future, live from SXSW 2025

    · 1 h 01 min · S1 E10

    Astro joins an all-star cast of inventors, futurists and creatives for a live conversation about radical innovation on-stage at SXSW 2025. These pioneers and problem-solvers pull together the threads of our series,…

  12. Deep Dive: Sebastian Thrun on Waymo’s Early Days

    · 35 min · S1 E11 · Bonus

    n the first installment of our Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive video interview series, X’s Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller sits down with Sebastian Thrun, co-founder of the Moonshot Factory, for a conversation about the…

  13. Deep Dive: André Prager on Prototyping at Wing

    · 51 min · S1 E12 · Bonus

    In the second installment of our Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive video interview series, X’s Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller sits down with André Prager, former Chief Engineer at Wing, for a conversation about the early…

  14. Deep Dive: Catie Cuan on Dancing and Living With Robots

    · 42 min · S1 E13 · Bonus

    In the third installment of our Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive video interview series, X’s Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller sits down with Dr. Catie Cuan, robot choreographer and former artist in residence at Everyday…

  15. The Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive: Andrew Ng on Deep Learning and Google Brain

    · 51 min · S1 E14 · Bonus

    In the fourth installment of our Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive video interview series, X’s Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller sits down with Andrew Ng, the founder of Google Brain and DeepLearning.AI, for a conversation…

  16. Deep Dive: Jeff Dean on Google Brain’s Early Days

    · 58 min · S1 E15 · Bonus

    In the fifth installment of our Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive video interview series, X’s Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller sits down with Google DeepMind’s Chief Scientist Jeff Dean for a conversation about the origin of…

  17. Deep Dive: David Guerena on the Future of Agriculture

    · 1 h 07 min · S1 E16 · Bonus

    In the sixth installment of our Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive series, X’s Captain of Moonshots, Astro Teller, discusses plant breeding and the future of agriculture with Agricultural Scientist, David Guerena. David works…

  18. Deep Dive: Ivy Ross & Isabelle Olsson on the Early Days of Google Glass

    · 52 min · S1 E17 · Bonus

    In this installment of the Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive series, Astro Teller explores the origins of Google Glass with designers Ivy Ross and Isabelle Olsson. They discuss the unexpected design and tech challenges the…

  19. The Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive: Jason Rugolo on iyO and the Future of Audio Wearables

    · 1 h 06 min · S1 E18 · Bonus

    In the eighth installment of the Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive series, Astro Teller discusses the future of audio wearables with iyO Founder Jason Rugolo. They discuss the many unexpected use cases for machine-mediated…

  20. Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive: Emily Ma on Solving Food Waste

    · 49 min · S1 E19 · Bonus

    In the ninth installment of the Moonshot Podcast Deep Dive series, Astro Teller and Emily Ma explore how to solve humanity’s food waste and hunger problems. They discuss how Project Delta built an “air traffic control”…

  21. Season 2: The Moonshot Podcast Trailer

    · 2:02 · S2 E1 · Trailer

    The Moonshot Podcast is back! The Moonshot Podcast chronicles the untold stories of innovation - both highs and lows - from inside Google’s Moonshot Factory. In Season 2, Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller sits down…

  22. Supercharging Human Health

    · 44 min · S2 E1

    The Moonshot Podcast is back! In the season 2 premiere, X’s Captain of Moonshots Astro Teller explores how three X projects developed technology to transform the future of healthcare. He first sits down with Kathryn…

  23. Coding The Natural World

    · 40 min · S2 E2

    This episode of The Moonshot Podcast dives into the future of biology, exploring how to harness life's "tiny factories" to solve humanity's biggest challenges. Host Astro Teller sits down with Brad Zamft, CEO of…

  24. Chasing the Wind, Storing the Sun

    · 37 min · S2 E3

    This episode of The Moonshot Podcast explores X's pursuit of radical solutions to drive energy abundance and resilience for humanity. Host Astro Teller is joined by Fort Felker to discuss the untold story of the Makani…

  25. Breaking New Ground

    · 36 min · S2 E4

    This episode of The Moonshot Podcast explores how X, The Moonshot Factory, is reimagining a better way to plan and make smarter, faster building decisions to address the global housing crisis. Host Astro Teller is…

  26. Ocean Fuel, Desert Rain

    · 47 min · S2 E5

    This episode of The Moonshot Podcast explores two moonshots that investigated very different ways to use water: harvesting it from the air and transforming it into fuel. Astro Teller first chats with Neil Treat and…

  27. Silicon Horizons

    · 37 min · S2 E6

    This episode of The Moonshot Podcast explores how X is reimagining computer chip design to power the next generation of AI. Computer engineer Tammo Spalink joins host Astro Teller to discuss Project Positron and their…

  28. The Digital Trail

    · 51 min · S2 E7

    This episode of The Moonshot Podcast explores two ambitious moonshots focused on bringing "visibility" to the world's most complex and opaque digital and physical systems. First, Astro is joined by Mike Wiacek, Stephen…

  29. Neurons and Networks

    · 59 min · S2 E8

    This episode of The Moonshot Podcast explores what the mind can teach us about technology and how technology can help our minds. First, Astro is joined by Sarah Laszlo from Project Valkyrie to discuss how looking at…

  30. Underground Potential

    · 19 min · S2 E9

    In this episode of The Moonshot Podcast we're diving deep—literally!—below the surface to uncover the ground's immense, untapped potential, which could unlock solutions to some of humanity's greatest challenges. Astro…

  31. The Moonshot Mindset with Adam Savage and Sergey Brin

    · 52 min · S2 E10

    In this final and very special episode of Season Two of The Moonshot Podcast, we're zooming out on what it means to have a Moonshot Mindset, and how The Moonshot Factory has been systematizing radical innovation over…

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