dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Social Links
  • zedreviews.com
  • citi.io
  • aster.cloud
  • liwaiwai.com
  • guzz.co.uk
  • atinatin.com
0 Likes
0 Followers
0 Subscribers
dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
  • Lah!

“We choose to go to the moon”: Lessons from X

  • August 1, 2019
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

In the fall of 2010, I asked Larry Page a series of questions to find out what he wanted X’s purpose to be. “Is X a research center?” No, Larry said. “A philanthropic organization?” No. “An incubator?” No. “Are we solving Google’s problems?” No. Eventually, I asked, “Are we taking moonshots?” And he smiled and said, “YES.”

While I confess I hadn’t fully thought through the question when I asked it, the word’s sense of audacity and extreme difficulty spoke to both of us. And it was the seed of X’s identity as a moonshot factory, with a mission of repeatedly developing far-out, sci-fi-sounding technologies that might someday make the world a radically better place. So as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission this month, here’s some of the other inspiration I’ve taken from the teams who put a person on the moon.

A commemorative sand mandala by Andres Amador at a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing at X headquarters

Optimism and perspective-shifting as a strategy

Our use of the term “moonshot” isn’t literal; it’s more of an emotional blueprint. A moonshot is about looking beyond where you can actually see and envisioning an answer that doesn’t seem reasonable—and pursuing it anyway. It’s about doing things that sound undoable but if done could redefine humanity.

In the early 1960’s, spacecraft for moon landings didn’t exist. There were no spacesuits, no space snacks, no computers for space navigation—plenty of reasons, in other words, to scoff at President Kennedy’s bold vision. But he made a powerful choice: to be an optimist and ask for something that, if possible at all, would require a radical reimagining of what space flight could be.

Perspective-shifting is one of X’s most deeply held principles. It’s not just about having an idea that sounds like science fiction (though we do reject a lot of ideas for not sounding impossible enough!). We look for a new way of thinking that avoids the usual methods and obstacles—like beaming Internet from balloons or free-space-optical stations rather than running fiber-optic cable through jungles and mountains. When you let your imagination run free and then run experiments to see whether your hypothesis could actually work, you can uncover surprising new approaches.

10X can be easier than 10 percent

Growing up there were three events I wished I had been part of. The first was the work led by Alan Turing and others during WWII to build the first real computer and the decryption process that led to modern computer science. The second, which my grandfather was a part of, was the Manhattan Project; work on the atomic bomb gave rise to the first electronic general purpose computer. The third was the Apollo space missions. These three special gatherings symbolized for me that the seemingly impossible can happen when passionate and talented people come together with urgency and determination.

The secret? It’s easier to get people to work on making something 10X better than to get them to help make it 10 percent better. Huge problems fire up our hearts as well as our minds. When you’re aiming for a 10X gain, you can’t just slog through it. You have to find whole new ways of doing things, and lean on bravery and creativity—the kind that, literally and metaphorically, can put a person on the moon.

“Huge problems fire up our hearts as well as our minds.”

Cognitive diversity is the key to creativity

More than 400,000 people made the Apollo mission possible—from mechanical engineers to fashion designers, with teams reaching from New England to California. Behind the millions of rocket components were many more millions of prototypes and experiments—all the rough ideas and uncomfortable moments necessary to solve problems no one had ever faced before. This was creativity in action, at a massive scale.

The lone inventor having a eureka moment is largely a myth; innovation comes from great teams where everyone feels comfortable raising questions and sharing their views. The more people a project has from a wide range of backgrounds and communities, the more fresh perspectives and creative ideas we can generate—and the better we’ll all be. At X, that’s why former rocket scientists work alongside concert pianists and puppeteers, and marine biologists mingle with physicists and machine learning experts.

Moonshots are a mindset

The space race was valuable far beyond its original goal: NASA’s work has led to dozens of technology breakthroughs with many everyday uses, and inspired generations of kids like me to fall in love with science and engineering. When the world’s problems make us feel small and helpless, we should reflect on the lessons the Apollo missions hold about human nature, and our ability to choose bravery over fear and set aside apathy in favor of audacity. We can get traction against the world’s most pressing problems—I believe that deeply, and we need more people than ever to believe that too.

 

By Astro Teller

This post originally appeared in Google Blog.

Total
0
Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
majulah

Previous Article
  • Technology

Who Really Owns Our Data?

  • August 1, 2019
View Post
Next Article
  • Lah!

The Return Of A Legend: Raffles Singapore Officially Reopens

  • August 2, 2019
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Lah!

Tariffs, Trump, and Other Things That Start With T – They’re Not The Problem, It’s How We Use Them

  • John Francis
  • March 25, 2025
View Post
  • Lah!

Canonical announces 12 year Kubernetes LTS

  • John Francis
  • March 4, 2025
dotlah-smartnation-singapore-lawrence-wong
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Featured
  • Features
  • Lah!
  • Machine Learning
  • Technology

Growth, community and trust the ‘building blocks’ as Singapore refreshes Smart Nation strategies: PM Wong

  • Dean Marc
  • October 9, 2024
dotlah-singapore-ndp-2024
View Post
  • Lah!

Here’s what to expect for NDP 2024!

  • dotlah.com
  • August 9, 2024
dotlah-singapore-airlines_may_21-1716298816
View Post
  • Lah!

Severe turbulence during Singapore Airlines flight leaves several people badly injured. One man died

  • majulah
  • May 22, 2024
dotlah-pm-lee-lawrence-wong-9656d4cd-1fa4-40ed-905d-e19e639b8476_728802dd
View Post
  • Lah!
  • People
  • Politics

End of Lee Era for Singapore as PM Steps Down

  • dotlah.com
  • May 16, 2024
DPM Lawrence Wong will be Singapore's fourth prime minister on May 15. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
View Post
  • Lah!
  • People
  • Politics

7 things to know about Singapore’s next prime minister Lawrence Wong

  • dotlah.com
  • May 15, 2024
When asked about his leadership style, DPM Lawrence Wong said he will be open and consultative, but he will not shirk from doing what is necessary for Singapore's future. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
View Post
  • Features
  • Lah!
  • People
  • Politics

‘We are prepared to relook everything’: Lawrence Wong on a changing society and his hopes for S’pore

  • dotlah.com
  • May 15, 2024


Trending
  • 1
    • People
    7 Ways To Encourage Team-Work Spirit In The Workplace
    • April 19, 2020
  • 2
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    Leveraging AI For Better Hiring Practices
    • January 19, 2021
  • 3
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    Over 80% Of Singapore SMEs Embrace Digital Transformation; More Than Half Report Slowdowns Due To COVID-19: ASME-Microsoft Study 2020
    • October 23, 2020
  • 4
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    Grab To Pilot First Indoor Robot Runner Service In Singapore Focused On Faster Fulfilment Of Mix-and-Match Delivery Orders
    • May 24, 2021
  • 5
    • Technology
    Ahead Of The Curve: Singapore’s Approach To 5G
    • October 17, 2019
  • 6
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    ABB To Electrify Autonomous Vehicles For New Port In Singapore
    • October 15, 2019
  • 7
    • Cities
    • Technology
    The Most Innovative Economies In The World
    • February 12, 2020
  • 8
    • Lah!
    Singapore Media Festival 2019 Kicks Off With Local Premiere Of Anthony Chen’s Wet Season
    • November 22, 2019
  • new-york-city-andre-benz-qJfznuTMAYA-unsplash 9
    • Cities
    The city as an emergent life form, with architecture as the skeleton and roads as veins
    • July 8, 2021
  • 10
    • Business
    • People
    • Technology
    How Technology Is Improving Human Resources Management
    • February 14, 2020
  • driving 11
    • Cities
    Reasons Why Defensive Driving Is A Must
    • October 28, 2020
  • Craft | Art 12
    • Features
    • People
    Essence Of Elegance. A Guide To The Top Ingredients In Perfumery.
    • June 21, 2023
Trending
  • 1
    Singapore PM Wong arrives in Malacañang
    • June 4, 2025
  • 2
    Renewable energy, carbon credits are priority areas of cooperation for Singapore, Philippines: Lawrence Wong
    • June 4, 2025
  • 3
    The Summer Adventures : Hiking and Nature Walks Essentials
    • June 3, 2025
  • 4
    Trump’s global trade plans are in disarray, after a US court ruling on ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs
    • May 29, 2025
  • 5
    315,000 Singaporeans have used new career and skills planning tool by SkillsFuture Singapore
    • May 23, 2025
  • college-of-cardinals-2025 6
    The Definitive Who’s Who of the 2025 Papal Conclave
    • May 8, 2025
  • conclave-poster-black-smoke 7
    The World Is Revalidating Itself
    • May 7, 2025
  • oracle-ibm 8
    IBM and Oracle Expand Partnership to Advance Agentic AI and Hybrid Cloud
    • May 6, 2025
  • 9
    Conclave: How A New Pope Is Chosen
    • April 25, 2025
  • 10
    Canonical Releases Ubuntu 25.04 Plucky Puffin
    • April 17, 2025
Social Links
dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Connecting Dots Across Asia's Tech and Urban Landscape

Input your search keywords and press Enter.