Episode Details

Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau are the authors of Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier. 

The new book explains the business side of space. I interview both authors. 

Here's my interview with Matthew Weinzierl.

00:00 Intro

02:00 Low-hanging fruit

07:00 Surprises

09:30 Space is vast and crowded

11:30 Kessler Syndrome

16:30 What won't happen in space?

21:45 Moon and Mars predictions

25:21 Advice for Entrepreneurs

28:00 New news

30:00 Co-authoring advice 

Matt Weinzierl is Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA Program at Harvard Business School, where he is the Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration in the Business, Government, and the International Economy Unit and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research focuses on the optimal design of economic policy, particularly taxation, emphasizing a better understanding of the philosophical principles underlying policy choices. Recently, he has launched a set of research projects focused on commercializing the space sector and its economic implications, viewable at www.economicsofspace.com. He has served on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Tax Expenditure Commission, the board of the National Tax Association, and on the editorial boards of Social Choice and Welfare and National Tax Journal. Before completing his PhD in economics at Harvard University in 2008, Professor Weinzierl served as the Staff Economist for Macroeconomics on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and worked in the New York office of McKinsey & Company. 

In these podcasts, I ask them the following questions:

1. If you were an entrepreneur, what space-related startup idea would you pursue?

2. What are some of the most surprising findings from your research?

3. How do you envision the future of human habitation in space?

4. In what ways can space exploration contribute to solving Earth’s economic challenges?

5. What ethical considerations arise from expanding economic activities into space? For example, can we colonize Mars or Europa if we find non-DNA-based bacteria there?

6. What were the challenges you faced during your research?

7. How do you foresee international relations evolving as nations compete for resources in space?

8. What are your predictions for the next decade in space exploration?

9. What are your thoughts on space tourism?

10. Who is the primary audience for this book?

11. What do you hope readers take away from "Space to Grow"?

12. What's a popular vision of space exploration that probably won't happen?

13. What narratives or myths about space need to be challenged?

14. What's the percentage chance that the Kessler Syndrome catastrophe will occur in the 2020s, 2030, and beyond?

15. How can public awareness be raised regarding the importance of investing in space?

16. What advice would you give entrepreneurs looking to enter the space industry?

17. In what ways might our values shift as we become a multi-planetary species?

18. What is a rarely discussed consequence of expanding into outer space?

19. If there was one message you want readers to remember, what would it be?

20. Do you want to clarify any misconceptions about the space economy?

21. What do you wish you had mentioned in the book? Perhaps some breaking new