Astro Teller: Why Pippi Longstocking Is My Role Model

Astro Teller, Captain of Moonshots at X (Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory), joins the Scientista Podcast to talk about bold ideas, big failures, and why Pippi Longstocking is still his role model. From AI to innovation culture, Astro shares what it takes to lead with humility, audacity, and purpose—and how embracing failure might be the key to building a better future.

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Transcript

Astro Teller: Why Pippi Longstocking Is My Role Model

In a special episode of the Scientista Podcast, we sit down with Astro Teller, Captain of Moonshots at X (Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory), to talk about innovation, failure, AI, the power of teams—and why Pippi Longstocking is his ultimate role model.

Yes, that Pippi Longstocking. For Astro, the fearless, independent, and kind-hearted girl with superhuman strength represented exactly the kind of leader he aspired to be: someone bold enough to break the rules, strong enough to lift a horse (metaphorically speaking), and generous enough to use that strength to help others. “Be so good that you can be yourself,” he says, “and then use the power that you create by being good at whatever it is you do to do something good for the people around you.”

Astro has one of the coolest job titles in the world, but his approach to solving big problems is deeply human. Whether he’s reflecting on his family’s scientific legacy or explaining why humility is just as important as ambition, Astro shares insights that will inspire anyone striving to make the world better through science, creativity, and courage.

A Family Legacy of Science: From the Manhattan Project to Moonshots

Astro comes from a remarkable lineage of science and innovation. His grandfather, Edward Teller, was a key figure in the Manhattan Project. His grandmother Augusta was one of the world’s first computer programmers. And it turns out, their legacies are still shaping his own—sometimes quite literally. For years, Astro’s academic citations were inflated due to a database misattributing his grandmother’s groundbreaking 1945 paper to him. “I was getting credit for her work without realizing it,” he recalls. “That was a powerful reminder of how much of what we do today stands on the shoulders of those who came before us—especially women whose contributions were often overlooked.”

The Real Risk Isn’t Technology—It’s Fear

Astro’s work at X revolves around identifying breakthrough technologies that could solve global problems—but he’s just as interested in the human psychology that shapes how we receive them. Nowhere is this tension more visible than in the public discourse around AI.

“The thing I fear isn’t AI,” he says. “It’s people’s fear of AI. That fear slows down the good uses of technology—but doesn’t necessarily stop the bad ones.” From nuclear energy to drones, he argues, history shows that when we let fear dictate our approach to technology, we miss opportunities to harness it for good.

Instead of reacting with fear, Astro urges curiosity and compassion. “When people are afraid, they’re not irrational,” he says. “They’re reacting to the fact that change is happening faster than our society can adapt. So the solution isn’t to ‘educate them’ with more facts. It’s to meet them where they are, acknowledge their concerns, and bring them along.”

Why Innovation Needs Teams—Not Lone Geniuses

One of Astro’s biggest myths to bust? The myth of the lone genius.

“Innovation is a team sport,” he says. “You need people from different backgrounds, with different expertise and different lived experiences. That includes technologists—but also social scientists, behavioral experts, lawyers, and storytellers. We can’t solve big problems in silos.”

That ethos of collaboration is at the heart of the Moonshot Factory—and his new Moonshot Podcast, which looks back at some of the biggest successes (and failures) from X’s 15-year history. “We made this podcast because people see moonshots and think, ‘Oh, those are just impossible dreams.’ But they’re not,” he explains. “They’re messy, iterative, full of wrong turns—and that’s exactly the point. If you’re not failing, you’re not pushing hard enough.”

Humility, Audacity—and Space to Learn

Asked what advice he has for young scientists and technologists—especially women—Astro offers a refreshingly honest take: “Everyone comes in with strengths and things they have to unlearn,” he says. “Some of us need to build up more audacity. Others need to develop more humility. And it’s OK, wherever you are on that spectrum. The key is to stay in the game and keep learning.”

He’s especially passionate about breaking down barriers that keep women and non-technical professionals from participating in tech innovation. “You don’t need a PhD to help invent the future,” he insists. “We need all kinds of people to bring moonshots to life.”

That belief is rooted in his personal experience—two of his most formative mentors were women. “My thesis advisor at Carnegie Mellon and my leadership coach at X taught me so much,” he says. “Not just about science or leadership—but about how to be human while doing hard things.”

Failure, Reframed

For Astro, the biggest turning point in his career wasn’t a success—it was a personal reckoning with failure.

“I used to be terrified of failing. I put so much pressure on myself that I was literally hyperventilating in college,” he recalls. “Then I made a deal with myself: I’m going to stop focusing on outcomes I can’t control, and start focusing on how I show up every day. That’s when everything changed.”

Today, he views failure not as a setback—but as a signal. “Failure is when your model of the world meets new evidence,” he says. “That’s not a bad thing. That’s how we learn.”

It’s also, he believes, how we build the future. One moonshot at a time.