Elon's Former Battery Chief: AI Data Centers Will Make Electricity Cheaper
Summary
Host Lucas Biewald interviews Drew Baglino, former Tesla executive and founder of Heron Power, about his career and new venture. They discuss Baglino’s experiences at Tesla, including working with Elon Musk and managing production challenges. The conversation shifts to Heron Power’s mission to improve grid efficiency using silicon carbide technology for data centers.
Topics discussed
Intro: Heron Power and Drew Baglino's background
Early career: Stanford, think tanks, and joining Tesla
Working with Elon: Model S battery constraints and ego
Production hell: Engineering leadership and rapid iteration
Management style: Hiring better people and realistic timelines
Luxury cars: NVH, weight trade-offs, and track testing
Autopilot evolution: From physics models to neural nets
Grid economics: Stagnant load growth and utility incentives
Heron's tech: Solid-state transformers and GaN semiconductors
Data centers, nuclear power, and the future of the grid
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