

Critical Minerals: Mining for the Industrial Future
279 snips Jul 23, 2025
Turner Caldwell, founder of Mariana Minerals and former Tesla innovator, shares his insights on the critical minerals industry. He discusses the staggering 15-year timeline for mining projects and their importance in modern technology, from smartphones to military hardware. The conversation highlights the challenges of labor shortages, slow automation adoption, and the geopolitical dynamics affecting supply chains. Caldwell envisions a software-first approach to mining, aiming to optimize refining processes and re-establish U.S. mining capacity for future needs.
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Critical Minerals' Ubiquity and Importance
- Critical minerals underpin virtually all modern technology, from smartphones to defense systems.
- Their mining and refining processes happen mostly unnoticed but are essential for industrial progress.
Complexity of Mining and Refining
- Mining and refining critical minerals involve highly complex and bespoke processes.
- Each ore body requires unique methods to convert rocks into usable metals and materials.
Turner Caldwell's Mining Path
- Turner Caldwell's career advanced from Tesla's factory design to mining after realizing metals drive battery costs.
- He saw mining as scale infrastructure with complex challenges, pushing him to build a vertically integrated mining company.