Chloe Sackier, entry, descent, and landing communications systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, illustrates the shortest and most intense phase of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission. HWHAP Episode 182
Archives
Suit Up for Mars
Natalie Mary, spacesuit systems engineer, explains what needs to be considered in the design and operation of a spacesuit that will be used to explore the surface of the Red Planet on the tenth episode of our Mars Monthly series. HWHAP Episode 181.
Special: Sequoia Capital’s Investment Playbook (with Alfred Lin)
We cover Sequoia Capital a lot on this show. Not only across our now four(!) dedicated episodes, but across a stunning nearly 50% of recent season companies where Sequoia was a primary or only investor — the most of any venture firm by an enormous margin. Today in this very special episode, we dive into the principles that have led to the firm’s 49 years of unparalleled success in venture, and the playbook behind how they identify markets and companies that create outcomes worthy of the firm’s namesake tree.
Sponsors:
- Legora: https://bit.ly/acquiredlegora
- Vanta: https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta
- ServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acquiredservicenow26
- Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig26
More Acquired!
- Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodes
- Join the Slack
- Subscribe to ACQ2
- Merch Store!
© Copyright 2015-2026 ACQ, LLC
The Sequoia Capital Playbook is available on our website at https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/special-sequoia-capitals-investment-playbook-with-alfred-lin
Links:
- Our two-part Sequoia history:
- Don Valentine’s talk at Stanford GSB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKN-abRJMEw&t=2555s
- Our conversation about Sequoia’s Black Swan Memo with Roelof Botha: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/sequoias-black-swan-memo
Artemis Mission Management
Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, breaks down the intricate planning and integrated teams that are preparing the next missions to the Moon. Sarafin details the mission profile for Artemis I. HWHAP Episode 180.
Commercial Airlock
Brock Howe, Bishop Airlock program manager at Nanoracks, details the history, design, and capabilities of the permanent commercial module that is now attached to the International Space Station. HWHAP Episode 179.
Bitcoin
We had to do it. After 12 years and 3,000,000x appreciation, we kick off Season 8 with the best investment of all-time and our biggest episode ever: Bitcoin. From the first bitcoin transaction of 10k for two Papa John’s pizzas (worth about $350m today!!) to $40k+ BTC and maybe the moon beyond, we cover the whole crazy, improbable journey of how a single 8-page PDF document changed the world of money — and perhaps the world itself — forever.
Sponsors:
- Legora: https://bit.ly/acquiredlegora
- Vanta: https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta
- ServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acquiredservicenow26
- Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig26
More Acquired!
- Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodes
- Join the Slack
- Subscribe to ACQ2
- Merch Store!
© Copyright 2015-2026 ACQ, LLC
The Bitcoin Playbook is available on our website at https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/bitcoin
Links:
- Satoshi’s Whitepaper: https://www.bitcoin.com/bitcoin.pdf
- Matt Huang’s “Bitcoin for the Open-Minded Skeptic”: https://www.paradigm.xyz/Bitcoin_For_The_Open_Minded_Skeptic.pdf
- Nellie Bowles’s “Everyone Is Getting Hilariously Rich and You’re Not”: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/style/bitcoin-millionaires.html
- Square’s $50m investment in BTC: https://images.ctfassets.net/2d5q1td6cyxq/5sXNrlEh2mEnTvvhgtYOm2/737bcfdc15e2a1c3cbd9b9451710ce54/Square_Inc._Bitcoin_Investment_Whitepaper.pdf
Episode Sources:
- Full list of episode sources available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16QCDNm2qzG3Bn5h1j1KXisxL_JGT7egDx7czX9ThHLY/edit?usp=sharing
International Trailblazer
Sergei Krikalev, cosmonaut and flight engineer of Expedition 1, the first long-duration mission to the International Space Station, recounts the 20th anniversary of this mission and a career of fostering international collaboration. HWHAP Episode 178.
Welcome to Mars
Paul Niles, planetary geologist and analytical geochemist, describes the Mars environment, terrain, weather, atmosphere, and more that humans will face while living on the Red Planet on this ninth episode of our Mars Monthly series. HWHAP Episode 177.
Muscles on Chips in Space
Dr. Siobhan Malany, president of Micro-gRx and associate professor at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, brings her expertise to discuss tissue chips containing human muscle cells that recently made their way to the International Space Station for investigation. HWHAP Episode 176.
Special: Acquired x Indie Hackers
As regular listeners know, we typically cover some of the biggest companies who often receive the most media attention (see Airbnb and DoorDash). But today’s episode is a little different. In our conversation with Courtland Allen of Indie Hackers, the largest community of startup founders, we dive into the stories of underdogs. What happens when there are millions of people doing small business entrepreneurship? How does anyone having access to the globally addressable market of 3 billion internet users open the door for the niche-est of products? We tell the story of Courtland’s own “Indie Hacker” journey, how he came to found Indie Hackers itself, and the lessons learned along the way.
Sponsors:
- Legora: https://bit.ly/acquiredlegora
- Vanta: https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta
- ServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acquiredservicenow26
- Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig26
More Acquired!
- Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodes
- Join the Slack
- Subscribe to ACQ2
- Merch Store!
© Copyright 2015-2026 ACQ, LLC
Playbook Themes from this episode are available on our website at https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/special-acquired-x-indie-hackers
Links:
- Indie Hackers: https://www.indiehackers.com