The Art of the Overpromise
If you've ever had a boss who leaps into a client presentation to double your promised deliverables on the spot, you'll feel for Bret Johnsen and Gwynne Shotwell. SpaceX's Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer had a clear job on the company's private investor call. Lay out the numbers. Keep investors hooked. Show that the space giant is printing cash through Starlink while building the heavy launch hardware of tomorrow.
They did exactly that. And then Elon Musk stepped in.
Every time Johnsen or Shotwell put a massive, barely believable figure on the table, Musk chimed in to make it bigger. Shotwell would promise rapid Starship