Post by Andreessen Horowitz

SpaceX has a five-step operational process it calls the Algorithm. It is, per those who worked there, "drilled into our minds”: 1. Question every requirement. Requirements from smart people are the most dangerous because people are less likely to question them. 2. Delete any part or process you can. If you don't end up adding back at least 10% of what you deleted, you didn't delete enough. 3. Simplify and optimize. Only after step two — a common mistake is to simplify and optimize something that should not exist. 4. Accelerate cycle time. But only after the first three steps. 5. Automate. That comes last. The mistake at Tesla's factories was that automation was attempted first, before requirements had been questioned and processes deleted. The Raptor 3 engine is what happens when you run these steps on the same hardware for ten years. 47% fewer parts than the Raptor 2. 22% more thrust. 232 lbs lighter. No heat shield needed, because the plumbing and wiring previously hanging on the outside have been fused into the engine's metal structure through 3D printing. No engine program in the history of aerospace has iterated this fast. Read the full piece by Marc Andreessen & Michael McGuiness: https://lnkd.in/es2XzpME