How America keeps reinventing itself
From Reasonably Optimistic by The Washington Post
March 11, 2026 · 41 min
About this episode
Christian Keil discusses American dynamism and the role of technology in rebuilding industrial capacity in the U.S.
How can the U.S. lead in rebuilding industrial capacity? Christian Keil believes the answer lies with American dynamism. He is a partner at a16z, who sees technology as a key to our future. Even through uncertain times and sharp competition from China. He joins host Megan McArdle to discuss his experience — from innovating satellite technology during his time at Astranis to now investing in companies through venture capital. He also gives more detail on his recently published the report "More Perfect," which explores how technology has shaped and will reshape America. Subscribe to The Washington Post here .
People in this episode
Host: Megan McArdle
Guest: Christian Keil
Topics covered
- industrial capacity
- American dynamism
- technology
- venture capital
- innovation
- satellite technology
Keywords
- industrial capacity
- American dynamism
- technology
- venture capital
- satellite technology
- China
- More Perfect
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: a16z, The Washington Post
Books & works: More Perfect
Places: U.S., China
More episodes of Reasonably Optimistic
- Gen Zers don’t cook. It’s costing them. · June 12, 2026 · 21 min
- Do aliens exist? I asked an astrophysicist. · June 10, 2026 · 37 min
- How weddings got so expensive · June 5, 2026 · 19 min
- Why $1 million doesn’t feel rich for Gen Z · June 3, 2026 · 39 min
- Why everyone is talking about peptides · May 29, 2026 · 29 min
- What’s going on with Ebola and hantavirus? · May 27, 2026 · 24 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Reasonably Optimistic podcast page.