Steve Blank Podcast No Science, No Startups: The Innovation Engine We’re Switching Off
Oct 15, 2025
The podcast dives into the complex relationship between science and society. It questions what science truly is and why it matters beyond academia. Steve Blank explores the connection between national power and scientific investment, highlighting how both basic and applied sciences fuel innovation. He contrasts theorists and experimentalists, examines the importance of university research, and warns against cutting science funding. The role of AI in enhancing, rather than replacing, scientific inquiry is also discussed, underscoring the necessity of curiosity in research.
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How Scientists Advance Knowledge
- Scientists ask questions, form hypotheses, and run experiments even when they don't know the answers.
- Their repeated failures are expected and each success moves human knowledge and technology forward.
Theorists Define Possibilities
- Theorists build mathematical models and predict phenomena without running experiments themselves.
- Their abstract work defines possible realities that experimentalists and engineers later test and build on.
Experimentalists Turn Ideas Into Data
- Experimentalists design and run experiments using instruments often built by engineers.
- They pursue both basic science for knowledge and applied science for practical solutions.