Introducing: Optimists Make Money

Hey Rational Optimist,

“Pessimists sound smart. Optimists make money.”

That quote from tech founder Nat Friedman has guided most of my career, except for the very beginning.

I actually started out as a cynic. But it didn’t work in investing, or in life.

I’ve watched the opposite prove true again and again: smart-sounding people explain why something can’t work… right up until someone builds it anyway.

We’ve been fortunate to build a very deep network of founders at ROS. Many are #1 in the world in their burgeoning fields, whether it be small nuclear reactors, supersonic jets, or asteroid mining.

Now you can join me as I talk to these innovators building the future with our new YouTube show and podcast: Optimists Make Money.

My aim with Optimists Make Money is twofold.

One, to give you closer access to the network of extraordinary founders we continue to build.

Two, to better understand and predict the future by talking to the people directly building it.

Theories and thinkers are great. But this podcast will feature my conversations with doers. The founder-CEOs with dirty fingernails who are in the trenches building new, cutting-edge businesses.

On this week’s debut episode, I talk with AstroForge CEO Matt Gialich on his plan to mine trillions of dollars’ worth of platinum from asteroids.

One important note: this is the only email you will receive about Optimists Make Money unless you sign up to receive email alerts when a new episode is posted.

All you have to do is flip a switch in your Substack account settings, and you’ll receive every podcast.

Here’s exactly how:

1. Log in to Substack.

2. After you log in, navigate to your Rational Optimist Society settings. This may look a little different based on how you’ve set up your profile.

   If logging in brings you to the Substack home feed, click on the Rational Optimist Society icon under Subscriptions.

Then click the three dots next to Message. A menu of new options will appear. Click Manage Subscription.

3. If logging in brings you to the ROS home page, click the menu in the top right.

Then click “Manage Subscription.”

4. Under Notifications, click the toggle switch next to Optimists Make Money. If it’s already toggled to the “on” position, you’re in, and there’s nothing more you need to do.

5. Ready? Click this link to go to Substack.com. Follow the steps above to flip the switch, and you’ll start receiving Optimists Make Money every week.

His startup AstroForge is trying to do something no company has ever pulled off: land on an asteroid, mine tens of millions of dollars’ worth of platinum metals … and bring the refined ore back home to Earth safely.

Listen to Matt for five minutes, and you’ll understand why founders like him are the ones building the future.

Click the image below to start the first episode of Optimists Make Money:

In our interview, we discuss:

• The real math behind space mining.

• How China may have a lead on the US.

• Why NASA is mainly a “jobs program.”

• What the “platinum age” could unlock.

• Matt’s case for orbital data centers.

You can also find the podcast on Spotify.

Wherever you watch and listen to it, please sure to click “subscribe” to help spread the word.

Go here to watch my conversation with Matt Gialich on YouTube now.

—Stephen McBride

Stephen McBride is a co-founder of the Rational Optimist Society.