The Documentary Podcast Floods hit Texas, then came the cloud talk
Sep 3, 2025
Augustus Doricko, CEO of Rainmaker, a pioneering cloud seeding tech startup, discusses the fallout from the catastrophic flooding in Texas. He addresses the surge of conspiracy theories blaming his company for the tragedy, highlighting the misconceptions surrounding weather manipulation. The conversation dives into the challenges of educating the public amidst a wave of misinformation and the complex interplay between scientific understanding and public trust. Doricko sheds light on the potential of cloud seeding and the urgent need to combat fake narratives.
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Company CEO Targeted After Floods
- Augustus Doricko, CEO of Rainmaker, describes how his company was quickly blamed online after the Texas floods despite being based in California.
- He faced in-person threats and hired security as social media calls for his arrest and worse intensified.
Creator Raised Questions After Finding Records
- Content creator Jordan Crowder tweeted about Rainmaker's July 2 operation and urged investigation rather than outright accusation.
- He says he grew up in Texas and noticed the seeding happened in the same county shortly before the floods.
Seeding Was Small And Temporally Distant
- Public records show Rainmaker seeded clouds two days before the floods, but the operation was small and far from the flood zone.
- Augustus and scientists argue seeded clouds and 70 grams of silver iodide could not produce the massive rainfall that caused the disaster.