Observer

Rocket Lab, an emerging rival of SpaceX, is doing a lot of important things. The New Zealand-and California-based company is one of the few in commercial space that have an operating reusable rocket and manufacture both launch vehicles and satellites—traditionally separate businesses. But what excites its founder and CEO Peter Beck the most is a “completely unfunded,” “nights and weekends” project aimed at finding life on Venus, the entrepreneur revealed during an onstage interview at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco on Oct. 28. Read more #TechCrunchDisrupt2024 coverage: https://lnkd.in/eA8zkqvv By Sissi Cao

Ashton Kutcher was an early investor in Airbnb and Uber but didn't remember if he'd ever seen a deck from either company. His message to founders: "Stop spending so much time on the deck!" Also, don't be afraid of #AI, he said at #TechCrunchDisrupt2024 today (video below). #founder #VC

Bret Taylor has held many notable titles in tech: facebook CTO, Twitter chairman, Salesforce co-CEO. Earlier this year, he stepped up as OpenAI's new chairman after a tumultuous board overhaul. On how he was in a "oddly unique" position to save #OpenAI. "I realized that I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if it weren’t for OpenAI…ChatGPT was the moment that changed the consciousness of the world around AI," he said at #TechCrunchDisrupt2024

The energy transition embodies several important trends. Chief among them are the transition of the electric grid from fossil-based to renewable energy resources, and the shift from cars powered by internal combustion engines to cars powered by batteries. Both involve electricity but, to the casual eye, they may not seem to have much in common. A closer look and a back-of-the-envelope calculation suggest that, in fact, they will have a great deal to do with one another. Read more on how the convergence of #EVs and #RenewableEnergy could redefine transportation and transform our energy landscape: https://lnkd.in/eZgPM4KE By Steve Crolius

Real estate broker and art collector Jonathan Travis has been the driving force (or the “Deus ex-machine”) behind Tribeca’s transformation into the new hotspot for art galleries. Today, the map of the gallery cluster there rivals Chelsea in both density and intimidation, stretching from Canal to Worth Street on one side and between Center and Church Street on the other. Observer sat down with the young broker and passionate collector to discuss how the Tribeca gallery district emerged, how he merged his passion with his career and what he envisions as the future of the neighborhood and the art industry at large. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gedABRdw By Elisa Carollo

Legendary VC Vinod Khosla doesn’t agree with Elon Musk’s politics but acknowledges his entrepreneurial feats and loves Tesla’s self-driving feature. “I bought my Tesla before Elon went crazy.” #TechCrunchDisrupt2024

Day 1 at #TechCrunchDisrupt2024 Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck on space’s talent war: “It’s twice as easy to get into Harvard as getting a job at Rocket Lab.”

#BillGates turns 69 today. The tech leader was only 20 when he co-founded #Microsoft, the powerhouse tech company that makes up the bulk of his $105 billion wealth. These days, however, the billionaire has mostly stepped away from Microsoft, besides consulting the company as a “technology advisor.” Having left his full-time role at the company in 2008 and stepped away from its board in 2020, his primary focus has shifted to philanthropy—namely, giving away some $77.6 billion via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—and investing in climate-focused technology solutions. From reading recommendations to innovations in longevity, explore some of the top tips Gates has offered on the topic of aging: https://lnkd.in/g-vdV-Jj

Debates continue to rage over what the placards hung next to paintings should or shouldn’t be and say. “Most people visiting a museum really want to learn something, so they walk through the exhibits and read all these labels and try to digest as much as they can, but if the label is too long or confusing, they get frustrated and, of course, they are standing on their feet the whole time, which leads them to get museum fatigue.” This assertion by Katherine Whitney, a professional #museum exhibition label writer in San Francisco, is 61 words long, just a bit longer than her ideal museum label, and probably wouldn’t pass her own test for good label writing. Still, her statement reflects a challenge that all art museums face when preparing the placards that ostensibly exist to help visitors who may have no prior knowledge of what they are looking at make sense of artworks in under a minute. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gP8d_jha

Billionaire #JeffBezos is making progress on the decade-long climate pledge he first made in 2020. Alongside his fiancée Lauren Sánchez, the #Amazon founder earlier this week unveiled a $60 million grant to help restore 1.6 million acres of land across the U.S. The donation comes from the Bezos Earth Fund, a climate commitment Bezos initially established in 2020 that is expected to dole out a total of $10 billion for environmental solutions by the end of this decade. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g9YfQwZU