#234 Jared Isaacman - Will China Trigger the Next Sputnik Moment for NASA?

Episode • Sep 8 • 3h 0m

Jared Isaacman is an American billionaire entrepreneur, pilot, and commercial astronaut. He founded Shift4 Payments in 1999 at age 16, growing it into a leading integrated payment processing company that went public in 2020, handling transactions for a third of U.S. restaurants and hotels. An accomplished aviator with over 7,000 flight hours, Isaacman set a world speed record for circumnavigating the globe in a light jet in 2009 and founded Draken International in 2012, the world's largest private air force providing adversary air support.

In space exploration, he commanded the all-civilian Inspiration4 mission in 2021, raising $240 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Polaris Dawn in 2024, conducting the first private spacewalk and testing Starlink communications.

Nominated by President Trump for NASA Administrator in December 2024, the nomination was withdrawn in June 2025 due to prior political donations, after which Isaacman donated $15 million to U.S. Space Camp programs. He advocates for advancing human spaceflight, public-private partnerships in aerospace, and philanthropy, including support for Make-A-Wish and veteran causes through his Polaris Program. Married to Monika with two children, Isaacman continues to push boundaries in business, aviation, and space.

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