THE INTERROGATION ROOM

WHAT’S THE ONE DECISION YOU MADE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS THAT KEPT YOU UP AT NIGHT AND WOULD YOU MAKE IT AGAIN?

It is quite rare that I lose sleep over work matters. However, the decision to join SpinLaunch was a hard one. I had already signed with a very large satellite operator for a prestigious and comfortable role… one that could have taken me all the way to retirement without too many headaches. Top company, great vibe. Still, I couldn’t resist the attraction and adrenaline of trying to build something very different, something that might change the space landscape. I took the hard choice… and no regrets….so far.

WHAT’S A HARD TRUTH ABOUT YOUR COMPANY OR SECTOR THAT YOU THINK MOST OF YOUR PEERS ARE STILL AVOIDING?

The reality is most of the industry is struggling to deliver and in denial. SpaceX has executed, a few others have potential, but the majority are clinging to outdated assumptions. We need a large  reset.

WHAT’S YOUR ACTUAL PLAN IF YOUR MAIN SUPPLIER, SATELLITE, PARTNER, OR MARKET ACCESS DISAPPEARS TOMORROW?

I cry 😀…

Seriously, everyone expects executives to have back-up plans for everything. But there are limits to what you can forecast. At OneWeb I lived through a couple of true “black swan” events. The Russian crisis, when overnight we lost all our remaining launch vehicles, was impossible to predict. My boss called and asked, “Massi, do we have a Plan B?” After a pause I had to say, “No, we don’t.” Ultimately, we figured it out successfully. I believe that if a team is solid, creative, resilient, and flexible, any crisis can be overcome

WHICH BUZZWORD DO YOU PRETEND TO UNDERSTAND IN MEETINGS BUT SECRETLY DON’T OR WISH WOULD DISAPPEAR FOREVER?

I wish there were just one. I am not the CTO anymore it is easier to admit it now.

This industry is obsessed with buzzwords, and conferences are often built around them. I’d rather we spent more time on tangible topics. If I had to pick, it would be “AI.” For context, my master’s thesis was on AI, and despite that, but I still struggle to understand what we mean when we link it to space.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU HEAR HONEST FEEDBACK FROM THE LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR ORGANIZATION AND WHAT WAS THE LAST THING THEY TOLD YOU THAT STUNG?

My current team is very small therefore I am having discussions with everyone. I find Americans very respectful of their management therefore to date I didn’t manage to get any feedback, but it is probably too soon.

In Europe, feedback was sometimes brutally direct. One time, a team member said, ‘You’re not doing enough for us, you’re letting us down.’ It stung, but it forced me to re-examine my priorities

IF YOUR MAIN COMPETITOR HIRED AWAY YOUR TOP THREE PEOPLE TOMORROW, WHAT’S THE FIRST THING THAT BREAKS?

Considering how small the team is it would have a significant impact on the entire company, I am sure we would recover however our shareholders would have to be quite understandable and accepting a delay and higher cost.

WHAT’S ONE STRATEGIC BET YOU MADE THAT HASN’T WORKED BUT YOU’RE STILL PUBLICLY DEFENDING?

I’ve placed a few big bets whose outcomes aren’t in yet. In this business, patience is part of the strategy.

WHAT’S YOUR PRIVATE PREDICTION ABOUT YOUR INDUSTRY THAT YOU HAVEN’T SAID OUT LOUD… YET?

The large majority of the Sat operators, unless government owned will disappear or merge.  In a decade we can have a beer and laugh if I was right or completely wrong.

WHAT’S THE ONE THING YOU’VE SAID IN INTERVIEWS OR PANELS THAT YOU DIDN’T ACTUALLY BELIEVE

Do people do that ahaha …. “Multi orbit strategy “ this is another buzz word that it is just there to try to justify past investments that don’t make sense anymore. Why would you want to do LEO-GEO. Or LEO-MEO . I do understand LEO-LEO but why would you de-optimise your architecture and customer experience to claim “ multi orbit strategy”

YOU’VE JUST BEEN GIVEN TRUTH SERUM AND 60 SECONDS ON A LIVE MIC. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOUR BOARD, YOUR CLIENTS, OR YOUR RIVALS? PICK ONE.

With this one I am going to get in trouble…

To clients …:  Act now. The window for decisions is closing fast. Delay means you’ll be left behind…..

PS: I would probably use the entire 60 sec … but the above would be the short version