Chris Lewicki
@interplanetchris.bsky.social
Space Industrialist, entrepreneur, engineer and “near-futurist” focused on the economic development of space.
The greatest gift remains with me because I discovered something profound:
I'm rich enough to give this gift too.
And so are you.
Who will you give it to this week?
I'm rich enough to give this gift too.
And so are you.
Who will you give it to this week?
October 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
The greatest gift remains with me because I discovered something profound:
I'm rich enough to give this gift too.
And so are you.
Who will you give it to this week?
I'm rich enough to give this gift too.
And so are you.
Who will you give it to this week?
Since that day, I've tried to give that same gift to others.
The founder pitching me their idea. The team member with a problem. My wife at the kitchen table.
Phones away. Laptop closed. Nothing more important than right now.
The founder pitching me their idea. The team member with a problem. My wife at the kitchen table.
Phones away. Laptop closed. Nothing more important than right now.
October 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Since that day, I've tried to give that same gift to others.
The founder pitching me their idea. The team member with a problem. My wife at the kitchen table.
Phones away. Laptop closed. Nothing more important than right now.
The founder pitching me their idea. The team member with a problem. My wife at the kitchen table.
Phones away. Laptop closed. Nothing more important than right now.
Here's what I learned:
You don't need to be a billionaire to give this gift.
You just need to be willing to give someone the thing everyone craves but few receive:
Your complete, undivided attention.
You don't need to be a billionaire to give this gift.
You just need to be willing to give someone the thing everyone craves but few receive:
Your complete, undivided attention.
October 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Here's what I learned:
You don't need to be a billionaire to give this gift.
You just need to be willing to give someone the thing everyone craves but few receive:
Your complete, undivided attention.
You don't need to be a billionaire to give this gift.
You just need to be willing to give someone the thing everyone craves but few receive:
Your complete, undivided attention.
That gift changed me.
Not because of who he was, but because of what he gave.
In a world of divided attention and constant interruption, total presence is the rarest gift you can give.
Not because of who he was, but because of what he gave.
In a world of divided attention and constant interruption, total presence is the rarest gift you can give.
October 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
That gift changed me.
Not because of who he was, but because of what he gave.
In a world of divided attention and constant interruption, total presence is the rarest gift you can give.
Not because of who he was, but because of what he gave.
In a world of divided attention and constant interruption, total presence is the rarest gift you can give.
Think about what an afternoon costs someone running a company touching billions of people.
The meetings canceled. The decisions delayed. The opportunities passed.
That time is gone. He'll never get it back.
The meetings canceled. The decisions delayed. The opportunities passed.
That time is gone. He'll never get it back.
October 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Think about what an afternoon costs someone running a company touching billions of people.
The meetings canceled. The decisions delayed. The opportunities passed.
That time is gone. He'll never get it back.
The meetings canceled. The decisions delayed. The opportunities passed.
That time is gone. He'll never get it back.
An hour became two. Two became three.
Complete presence. Total curiosity. Pure engagement.
The realization crept up on me: I was experiencing something I'd never felt before.
And may never feel again.
Complete presence. Total curiosity. Pure engagement.
The realization crept up on me: I was experiencing something I'd never felt before.
And may never feel again.
October 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
An hour became two. Two became three.
Complete presence. Total curiosity. Pure engagement.
The realization crept up on me: I was experiencing something I'd never felt before.
And may never feel again.
Complete presence. Total curiosity. Pure engagement.
The realization crept up on me: I was experiencing something I'd never felt before.
And may never feel again.
We talked for hours about satellites, space mining, internet constellations.
Anyone can give you 5 minutes of attention.
Rare people can give you 30 minutes of focus.
But I started noticing something as the afternoon went on...
Anyone can give you 5 minutes of attention.
Rare people can give you 30 minutes of focus.
But I started noticing something as the afternoon went on...
October 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
We talked for hours about satellites, space mining, internet constellations.
Anyone can give you 5 minutes of attention.
Rare people can give you 30 minutes of focus.
But I started noticing something as the afternoon went on...
Anyone can give you 5 minutes of attention.
Rare people can give you 30 minutes of focus.
But I started noticing something as the afternoon went on...
Glass-walled conference room.
Two walls facing the office.
Two walls facing California sun.
Zuck on a beanie chair. My co-founder and I on a corner couch.
Two others in the room who never spoke.
No one interrupted.
No laptops.
No phones visible.
Two walls facing the office.
Two walls facing California sun.
Zuck on a beanie chair. My co-founder and I on a corner couch.
Two others in the room who never spoke.
No one interrupted.
No laptops.
No phones visible.
October 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Glass-walled conference room.
Two walls facing the office.
Two walls facing California sun.
Zuck on a beanie chair. My co-founder and I on a corner couch.
Two others in the room who never spoke.
No one interrupted.
No laptops.
No phones visible.
Two walls facing the office.
Two walls facing California sun.
Zuck on a beanie chair. My co-founder and I on a corner couch.
Two others in the room who never spoke.
No one interrupted.
No laptops.
No phones visible.
2014. I got an email from "Zuck" asking about laser communications for small satellites.
At Planetary Resources, we were building tech to mine asteroids. He wanted to talk about connecting the world.
After a video call, we flew to the Bay Area.
At Planetary Resources, we were building tech to mine asteroids. He wanted to talk about connecting the world.
After a video call, we flew to the Bay Area.
October 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
2014. I got an email from "Zuck" asking about laser communications for small satellites.
At Planetary Resources, we were building tech to mine asteroids. He wanted to talk about connecting the world.
After a video call, we flew to the Bay Area.
At Planetary Resources, we were building tech to mine asteroids. He wanted to talk about connecting the world.
After a video call, we flew to the Bay Area.
Risk management is about catching the preventable.
But sometimes you need to cultivate the possible.
That's why I built @RiskThing.
Join the waitlist: RiskThing.com
But sometimes you need to cultivate the possible.
That's why I built @RiskThing.
Join the waitlist: RiskThing.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Risk management is about catching the preventable.
But sometimes you need to cultivate the possible.
That's why I built @RiskThing.
Join the waitlist: RiskThing.com
But sometimes you need to cultivate the possible.
That's why I built @RiskThing.
Join the waitlist: RiskThing.com
The backup plan wasn't protecting me from failure.
It was preventing me from discovering what success actually required.
It was preventing me from discovering what success actually required.
October 15, 2025 at 12:44 AM
The backup plan wasn't protecting me from failure.
It was preventing me from discovering what success actually required.
It was preventing me from discovering what success actually required.
There are two types of risk:
1. The risk of failing
2. The risk of never jumping
I'd spent my career managing the first while ignoring the second.
1. The risk of failing
2. The risk of never jumping
I'd spent my career managing the first while ignoring the second.
October 15, 2025 at 12:44 AM
There are two types of risk:
1. The risk of failing
2. The risk of never jumping
I'd spent my career managing the first while ignoring the second.
1. The risk of failing
2. The risk of never jumping
I'd spent my career managing the first while ignoring the second.
When I got home, I called the real estate agent.
Put the house on the market.
Told my co-founders we were all-in on Seattle.
No more backup plan. No more safety net.
Put the house on the market.
Told my co-founders we were all-in on Seattle.
No more backup plan. No more safety net.
October 15, 2025 at 12:44 AM
When I got home, I called the real estate agent.
Put the house on the market.
Told my co-founders we were all-in on Seattle.
No more backup plan. No more safety net.
Put the house on the market.
Told my co-founders we were all-in on Seattle.
No more backup plan. No more safety net.
"Real explorers burn their boats," he said.
And I knew instantly he was right.
I hadn't really committed. I was playing it safe while pretending to be bold.
And I knew instantly he was right.
I hadn't really committed. I was playing it safe while pretending to be bold.
October 15, 2025 at 12:44 AM
"Real explorers burn their boats," he said.
And I knew instantly he was right.
I hadn't really committed. I was playing it safe while pretending to be bold.
And I knew instantly he was right.
I hadn't really committed. I was playing it safe while pretending to be bold.
I showed up uninvited at his $1B company. Got 20 minutes with him.
He looked at me with that stare—not through me, but INTO me.
The kind that sees what you're hiding from yourself.
He looked at me with that stare—not through me, but INTO me.
The kind that sees what you're hiding from yourself.
October 15, 2025 at 12:44 AM
I showed up uninvited at his $1B company. Got 20 minutes with him.
He looked at me with that stare—not through me, but INTO me.
The kind that sees what you're hiding from yourself.
He looked at me with that stare—not through me, but INTO me.
The kind that sees what you're hiding from yourself.
But I had a backup plan.
"If this crazy thing fails, I can always go back to JPL."
It felt smart. Responsible. A safety net.
It was actually the thing that was going to kill my startup before it began.
"If this crazy thing fails, I can always go back to JPL."
It felt smart. Responsible. A safety net.
It was actually the thing that was going to kill my startup before it began.
October 15, 2025 at 12:44 AM
But I had a backup plan.
"If this crazy thing fails, I can always go back to JPL."
It felt smart. Responsible. A safety net.
It was actually the thing that was going to kill my startup before it began.
"If this crazy thing fails, I can always go back to JPL."
It felt smart. Responsible. A safety net.
It was actually the thing that was going to kill my startup before it began.
I'd just left NASA. My dream job.
Two Mars rovers. Phoenix Mars Lander. Exceptional Achievement medals on the wall.
Joined an ultra-stealth asteroid mining startup as co-founder #1.
I thought I'd made the leap.
Two Mars rovers. Phoenix Mars Lander. Exceptional Achievement medals on the wall.
Joined an ultra-stealth asteroid mining startup as co-founder #1.
I thought I'd made the leap.
October 15, 2025 at 12:44 AM
I'd just left NASA. My dream job.
Two Mars rovers. Phoenix Mars Lander. Exceptional Achievement medals on the wall.
Joined an ultra-stealth asteroid mining startup as co-founder #1.
I thought I'd made the leap.
Two Mars rovers. Phoenix Mars Lander. Exceptional Achievement medals on the wall.
Joined an ultra-stealth asteroid mining startup as co-founder #1.
I thought I'd made the leap.
This would be an incredible mission to witness. @richardbranson and @JeffBezos have both experienced their own vehicles. It’s time for Elon to do the same, and Jared can support his mission.
February 21, 2025 at 5:34 PM
This would be an incredible mission to witness. @richardbranson and @JeffBezos have both experienced their own vehicles. It’s time for Elon to do the same, and Jared can support his mission.
This photo is beautiful beyond words in a techno-architectural way.
More beautiful to me than a Starship at sunset, or mach diamonds from a new rocket.
My thanks to NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Sciences teams for capturing this historic moment. 3/3
More beautiful to me than a Starship at sunset, or mach diamonds from a new rocket.
My thanks to NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Sciences teams for capturing this historic moment. 3/3
January 19, 2024 at 7:45 PM
This photo is beautiful beyond words in a techno-architectural way.
More beautiful to me than a Starship at sunset, or mach diamonds from a new rocket.
My thanks to NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Sciences teams for capturing this historic moment. 3/3
More beautiful to me than a Starship at sunset, or mach diamonds from a new rocket.
My thanks to NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Sciences teams for capturing this historic moment. 3/3