Founder/CEO @boomsupersonic. Life is short so if you want to do a lot, it helps to move fast.
Denver, CO
Joined July 2006
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Boom! We cracked it! Today we are introducing Boomless Cruise—supersonic flights up to 50% faster with no audible sonic boom.
We quietly (har har) demo'd this on XB-1's first supersonic flight—three times actually. 🧵👇
Ordered my Starlink Mini2 yesterday. This is a game changer for flying on a small airplane.
Mini1 works for this but is an enormous PITA to keep powered airborne.
Introducing Mini 2, the next-generation portable Starlink. Get up to 4.5 hours of connectivity on a single charge with the quick-swap battery, or plug in with USB-C.
With built-in Wi-Fi, all you need is a clear view of the sky to get online in 60 seconds.
Preorders are now open by invitation in the US. Be the first to know when it's available → starlink.com/mini-2
Boom's test turbine has nearly 2,000 sensors of various kinds—fed realtime via in-house telemetry.
Because we vertically integrated the telemetry and control stack, we can create the views the test team wants. Like Damage Control for realtime turbine health.
This is huge for Cirrus flyers. The current unit requires 100W, which is not easily available in the air. So I end up lugging the Mini, a cable, and a massive battery that puts out 100W and doesn’t last long. Just being able to run on the 60W USB outlet in the G7 Cirrus is huge.
Introducing Mini 2, the next-generation portable Starlink. Get up to 4.5 hours of connectivity on a single charge with the quick-swap battery, or plug in with USB-C.
With built-in Wi-Fi, all you need is a clear view of the sky to get online in 60 seconds.
Preorders are now open by invitation in the US. Be the first to know when it's available → starlink.com/mini-2
Blake Scholl 🛫 retweeted
I believe in tiny, elite teams.
At our Series A, Flow was valued at $100M. We were 7 people.
At our Series B, Flow was valued at $750M. We were 25 people.
We’ve modeled Flow on Skunk Works. This = maximum ownership, minimum bureaucracy. An engineer who understands a problem should have the authority to make the call.
A few beliefs that follow from that:
1) A small team needs a short list of priorities. Five people working on ten priorities is ten understaffed projects. Part of my job is deciding what we can stop doing so people can concentrate on the problems that matter.
2) Make the goal simple enough that your subconscious works on it in the shower. Everyone should understand what we’re trying to achieve well enough to think through a solution without opening a slide deck.
3) Leaders should be able to show you their work. What did you build, test or figure out this week? I expect the people leading teams at Flow to have an answer. That includes me.
4) Changing your mind quickly is a skill we should reward. I trust someone more when they can explain which evidence changed their view. One question I like asking is “What did we believe last week that we now know is wrong?”
5) The cost of an experiment should determine how much permission it needs. If something is cheap to try and easy to reverse, people should be able to get on with it. That’s how you get to daily iteration.
It’s been more than 20 years since Boeing or Airbus has launched a new commercial airliner. Chinese dominance of commercial aviation is inevitable unless the west builds a new airframer that actually innovates.
My goal is to make Boom that air framer.
.@emirates President Tim Clark says its only a matter of time before China upends commercial aviation:
“They’ve slaughtered the auto market with EVs, they’ve upended so many industries, why would aviation be any different for them?”
Story via @bekammel: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
If I told you there was a central government committee in chart of spec’ing car headlamps, you might reasonably believe that it was in Soviet Russia.
Tesla has submitted a new letter to NHTSA, urging the federal government to modernize U.S. vehicle lighting regulations.
Tesla argues that existing regulations were designed for traditional headlights, not modern matrix LED systems that use vehicle cameras to detect other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists and dynamically adjust light beams to improve visibility and reduce glare.
Tesla also wants regulations to account for lighting improvements delivered through over-the-air software updates and is pushing for automakers to have greater representation in shaping the new rules.
Tesla: "We do not treat lighting as an isolated supplier module whose only “sensor” is a dusk photocell. Lighting behavior is informed by the same surround-camera suite that continuously observes the driving scene: oncoming headlamps, preceding taillamps, pedestrians, cyclists, lane geometry, and ambient illumination. Semiautomatic beam switching and adaptive driving beam functions are therefore scene understanding problems, not binary light-threshold problems.
Tesla has concerns about NHTSA’s proposed composition of the advisory committee tasked with reaching consensus recommendations. Specifically, Tesla urges the agency to increase the number of individual vehicle manufacturer committee members from the current proposal of just two representatives. The current proposal does not accurately reflect the interests of individual motor vehicle manufacturers, particularly when those interests will not be represented by a trade or industry association member of the committee."
Roads should be tolled at rush hour to encourage people to drive off peak.
This gets even better with autonomy. Lots of trucking, particularly long-haul, can be done cheaply overnight and we can free up the most precious daytime road capacity for passengers.
I'm getting an unusual amount of unsolicited email about this interview.
"I was literally on my feet, jumping up and down during some of your stories. It was so inspiring to hear someone describe problems we face every day and show what’s possible..."
"...You've got people dreaming again. Kids looking up at the sky. Adults remembering that "faster" was ever on the table..."
One of our core goals at Boom is "inspire always"—and it's incredibly rewarding when we can help inspire other builders to build harder.
Carolynn and I are back for a special episode with Blake Scholl of @boomsupersonic about their amazing recent transformation, from losing Rolls Royce as their engine supplier to financing development of the airliner by selling gas turbines.
pod.link/1677066062/episode/…
Blake Scholl 🛫 retweeted
US voters backed limits on data center development in 40 of 41 local ballot measures on Nov. 3. Two days later, OpenAI pledged to pay the full cost of power at future campuses it owns and operates.
This won't stop the AI buildout, but it makes turbines and transformers even scarcer for everyone who needs power, from utilities to chemical plants.
More data centers now make their own electricity with gas turbines, transformers, and switchgear. GE Vernova is selling turbine slots for 2032 delivery. Anthropic agreed in September to pay $3.4B to take over a Texas equipment supplier's two-year-old order for 1.7 GW of Caterpillar gas generators. In August, Musk said SpaceX will cast its own turbine blades and vanes, because that is the limiting factor for gas turbine production. US generator step-up transformers had lead times above 160 weeks this year. Power transformer prices are up 77% since 2019.
Musk also said SpaceX and Tesla are each building factories that can make 100 GW of solar panels a year, and that natural gas will still be needed for several years.
cnbc.com/2026/11/08/anthropi…
ALT Compressor and turbine rotors at GE’s gas turbine plant in Greenville, South Carolina.
ALT Caterpillar G3520K gas generator set.
Trigger warning - controversial post on people management.
Most corporate PIPs ("performance improvement plans") are corporate CYA shams that torture employees while delaying the inevitable. It's much better for the company (and the employee!) to part ways quickly and with generous severance.
If managers just paid employees severance for the time the average corporate manager would have lallygagged with a PIP that goes nowhere, they can save time, money, and grief.
Team performance is upgraded faster. And the problem employee can move on to something they can succeed at faster—spared the embarrassment of a sham PIP that is usually designed to set them up for failure.
There is one critical but rare exception: a non-performing employee with a track record of exceptional performance. Or when is specific, compelling evidence that in a different role they can be not merely ok, but truly great. In that case, leaders should be curious and try (authentically, but only once!) to create the circumstances for exceptional performance.
In my experience, true performance turnarounds are possible about 5% of the time. Mostly PIPs delay the inevitable or result in retaining a low performer who should not be retained.
In the 95% case, parting ways quickly is good for employee and company. The 5% case where a turnaround is possible can create one of the most rewarding experiences for leaders.
“It was so refreshing to talk to people with drive” — turbine engineer who just joined Boom from GE
Things a founder should always be OK asking an investor:
- how big is current fund, how much is already deployed?
- how much dry powder do you have for new investments?
- do you lead?
Otherwise it’s easy to waste time with investors who are just window shopping.
Will be on Fox Business tomorrow 8:30a ET, talking about this.
It makes me sad. As a society, I wish we could disagree without tribalism or threats of violence. Boycotts are fine. Executions and assassinations are not.
Sad to say @profgalloway is an investor in Boom. I don't mind disagreements but calling for an execution of a non-criminal (worse, an actual hero!) is a step too far.
Working to arrange a buy-out of his shares.
Blake Scholl 🛫 retweeted
The 2-minute electricity case for BAAJA
If we look at the overall effects of BAAJA on electricity compared to the other options on the table, it is a major improvement—above all because it helps unleash electricity supply.
Republican influencers are calling for changes to BAAJA on electricity that will kill it
Most Republicans acknowledge that overall BAAJA (the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act) by unleashing the freedom to build, will be great for America’s economy.
But some Republican influencers are calling for House Republicans to challenge and change BAAJA—specifically its electricity transmission provisions—to help American electricity.
Given the 20 days of floor-time remaining and many competing priorities, these calls for significant changes will almost certainly kill the bill.
We need to compare BAAJA’s overall effects to the other options on the table
The criticisms of BAAJA by Republican influencers tend to cherry-pick aspects of BAAJA that are imperfect, sometimes very imperfect.
When we have a binary option—pass a freedom-to-build bill virtually as-is or not at all, we need to look at its overall effects compared to the (very bad) status quo.
If we look at the overall effects of BAAJA on electricity, let alone our economy, it is a big improvement on the status quo.
BAAJA unleashes cost-effective electricity, which is priority number 1
Strangling reliable electricity supply is by far the biggest problem we need to address. If we don’t, prices will skyrocket as demand rises from computing, electrification, and new industry.
BAAJA unleashes supply across the board: power plants, pipelines, and power lines.
BAAJA places real but incomplete limits on wasteful utility spending
BAAJA includes multiple provisions designed to limit utilities’ ability to force ratepayers to pay for wasteful transmission infrastructure.
BAAJA’s limits on ratepayer-financed transmission are on paper much better than the status quo, but not tightly defined enough to stop all wasteful lines.
But today’s limits on wasteful spending are looser than BAAJA’s—enabling a lot of wasteful local trasmission—while strangling cost-effective transmission and electricity in general.
For pro-reliability administrations, BAAJA will make our transmission situation much better—more cost-effective transmission and less wasteful spending.
Given the options on the table, BAAJA is worth adopting on electricity grounds alone—and an absolute no-brainer given that it also unleashes development throughout the economy.
Answering electricity objections to BAAJA
Myth: BAAJA dramatically expands federal infringement on legitimate state authority over transmission.
Truth: The federal government already has the (constitutionally valid) authority to overrule states on interstate transmission. BAAJA actually limits that authority by setting new, stricter standards for what lines it can be used to approve.
Myth: BAAJA undermines state authority by letting FERC investigate local transmission spending—and this is unnecessary because states already oversee local utility projects.
Truth: Utilities are getting away with a lot of wasteful local spending because state regulators lack the resources and expertise to scrutinize every project. BAAJA increases state authority by giving states the option to ask FERC to investigate local spending.
Myth: BAAJA’s interconnection provisions give a future anti-fossil-fuel administration the power to block natural gas power plants from connecting to the grid.
Truth: BAAJA adds an explicit fuel-neutrality requirement and preserves existing protections against discrimination.
Myth: BAAJA favors certain forms of energy over others.
Truth: It’s a remarkably technology-neutral bill that increases all forms of energy’s freedom to develop and compete.
Myth: The House needs to demand major changes to BAAJA so the House “uses its voice.”
Truth: BAAJA overwhelmingly incorporates ideas and language led by the House, such as the SPEED Act and the PERMIT Act.
Boom will be unusually quiet about details of our single crystal turbine tech. AFAIK we are years ahead of any other foundry—particularly those in China—so we will keep our work under wraps.
I usually love building in public but in this case it would not be responsible.
Blake Scholl 🛫 retweeted
I am having the most encouraging flying experience with @united
On the tarmac for an hour for flight to Montana. Captain says a maintenance light is on for cooling. Gotta check it out. He goes into thorough detail on time, impacts, possible scenarios.
Maintenance arrives quickly and says “known issue!” Captain says he isn’t comfortable flying till it’s properly checked. Known issues unresolved are unacceptable. Patriot?! This captain has our trust.
Maintenance comes. Issue remains. Captain explains they are looking for a new part and if it is replaced we will fly. If they find it here is the timeline. Things are being handled . Folks can get off if they like but stay close.
Most folks stay on. Everyone remains calm. No fussing except one guy who gives a big speech about how maintenance is degrading & good for the captain for standing his ground against this decline. He saw this kind of maintenance issue yesterday. He gets off. The rest of us remain. No need to get worked up.
Captain comes out & SURPRISE he is a looker. Like central casting salt & pepper if he starts aging. He’s the Platonic ideal of an airline captain. Like the guy from For All Mankind. This is a man who looks like he should have this job. Our trust was not misplaced.
Alas The Issue cannot be fixed. Captain says do not fret. We have a new airplane. Everyone must deplane and get to the new gate. It’s a 10-15 walk in another terminal. Everyone lines up fast and roll out. Debating on the walk as to getting food ensues. No we all want to keep on the schedule. Most carry on. Everyone calmly lines up. A few got quick snacks. All luggage, toddlers, and elders make it without much fuss or muss.
The new plane is being deplaned from an earlier flight. The passengers patiently wait in nearly the exactly order we deplaned. This is exactly how you hope a maintenance delay goes. Civilized society rests on one man’s shoulders apparently.
