- Over a 2003 lunch, Elon Musk wrote a check to Stanford engineer JB Straubel after Straubel pivoted from pitching an electric airplane to an electric car idea — a key moment that helped start Tesla.
- Straubel became Tesla’s chief technologist, designing the Roadster’s lithium‑ion battery pack and helping build core tech like Superchargers and early gigafactory plans.
- He now runs Redwood Materials, a multibillion‑dollar battery‑recycling startup, warns the AI boom is straining the U.S. grid, and urges founders to pursue hard problems despite skeptics.
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