The Founders Who Left Tesla to Rebuild America | a16z

In this talk

1. 2:39

   Building the physical infrastructure for AI

   Caldwell says Mariana develops and operates mines and refineries, using software for project delivery and autonomous operations. The company operates a copper mine in Southeast Utah and is building a lithium refinery in Texas, with a goal of 10 projects in 10 years. Baglino says Heron is developing solid-state transformers to modernize power conversion for data centers and large energy installations.

2. 5:30

   Why domestic supply chains matter

   Baglino argues that the U.S. should commercialize and manufacture power semiconductor applications at home, including technology built on silicon carbide. Caldwell says the U.S. is about 50 years behind in critical minerals and that permitting alone will not close the gap: projects can take five years to build and another three to five years to reach operating capacity.

3. 7:48

   Modernizing the grid and speeding up projects

   Baglino says grid equipment still relies on mechanical systems developed more than a century ago, leaving the grid with limited monitoring and control and dependence on overseas suppliers. He describes turning a former JCPenney warehouse in Lathrop, California, into a Megafactory that produced its first product after 11 months. He says coordination with local jurisdictions can determine whether projects move forward smoothly.

4. 12:29

   Using autonomy and building industrial teams

   Caldwell says Mariana is applying software and reinforcement learning across project development, refineries, and mines, where operators must manage variable materials and thousands of daily decisions. He says adoption depends on working closely with operating teams and designing tools around their needs. Both founders credit Tesla’s risk tolerance, fast decisions, strong mission, and persistence, and say U.S. companies can find talent in adjacent industries such as oil and gas, bottling, and syringe manufacturing.

5. 21:10

   What could accelerate U.S. manufacturing

   Caldwell calls for incentives that give investors confidence in long-term demand for minerals projects. Baglino asks for durable industrial policy, coordinated federal and state planning for energy and manufacturing zones, and a grid infrastructure plan that connects them. Both say predictable policy and faster project execution would help mobilize private capital and build domestic capacity.