# Moonshot Engineering Projects: Getting Innovative Initiatives Off the Ground

- Show: [Over the Air](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air)
- Published: 2021-05-25
- Length: 37m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-05-25-moonshot-engineering-projects-getting-innovative-initiatives-off-the-ground
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/over-the-air/episodes/Moonshot-Engineering-Projects-Getting-Innovative-Initiatives-Off-the-Ground-e2l43sk

## Summary

Luke Wilhelm, former head of hardware for Uber’s flying car project (Uber Elevate) and current Chief Product Officer at Very, shares advice on leading high-stakes engineering initiatives. He emphasizes building high-quality teams, managing up with honest risk assessments, and the strategic use of saying 'no' to eliminate non-essential features. Wilhelm draws on his experience at Apple, Quantumscape, and Greencharge Networks to discuss the dangers of rationalization and the importance of empathy in leadership.

## Chapters

- [0:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-05-25-moonshot-engineering-projects-getting-innovative-initiatives-off-the-ground#t=58) Introduction: Luke Wilhelm's Background at Greencharge, Apple, and Uber
- [5:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-05-25-moonshot-engineering-projects-getting-innovative-initiatives-off-the-ground#t=315) Building the Core Team and Hiring Discipline
- [9:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-05-25-moonshot-engineering-projects-getting-innovative-initiatives-off-the-ground#t=556) Risk Assessment and the Project Management Trifecta
- [12:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-05-25-moonshot-engineering-projects-getting-innovative-initiatives-off-the-ground#t=730) Mid-Project Pivots and Killing Projects
- [17:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-05-25-moonshot-engineering-projects-getting-innovative-initiatives-off-the-ground#t=1070) Managing Up and Communicating Inconvenient Truths
- [20:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-05-25-moonshot-engineering-projects-getting-innovative-initiatives-off-the-ground#t=1235) Weaponizing 'No' and Avoiding Rationalization
- [33:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-05-25-moonshot-engineering-projects-getting-innovative-initiatives-off-the-ground#t=2015) Science Fiction as Inspiration for Engineering

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Very (company)
- Uber (company)
- Uber Elevate (product)
- Joby Aviation (company)
- Apple (company)
- Quantumscape (company)
- Greencharge Networks (company)
- General Motors (company)
- Star Trek (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [S5E41 Jim Gabriel | How to Accelerate the Speed of Engineering, Episode 5](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-10-11-s5e41-jim-gabriel-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-5) (Being an Engineer)
- [S6E21 Ron Higgs | Systems Thinking, People Skills, & Executive Leadership](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-05-23-s6e21-ron-higgs-systems-thinking-people-skills-executive-leadership) (Being an Engineer)
- [189: The Power of Your Team in Building Hardware Innovations](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-08-18-189-the-power-of-your-team-in-building-hardware-innovations) (Product Startup)
- [T-24-004 : Tom George - Hardware Startup Engineer to Google Product Lead](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2024-11-13-t-24-004-tom-george-hardware-startup-engineer-to-google-product-lead) (TRADEOFFS)
- [269: Ultra-Precise Death Ray (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-07-02-269-ultra-precise-death-ray-repeat) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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