Paul Bookout and David Smith talk about the most powerful rocket since the Saturn V: The Space Launch System. The experts discuss what the rocket is made of, where it will go, and what will be inside. HWHAP Episode 41
Archives
Tough and Competent
Colonel TJ Creamer shares his story from humble beginnings in the military to tweeting from the International Space Station. Creamer describes his transition as the first and only individual to be both an astronaut and a flight director. HWHAP Episode 40.
BEAM and Expandable Spacecraft
Rajib Dasgupta and Gerard Valle talk about the commercial test module currently attached to the International Space Station called the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM). The respective former and current project managers for BEAM discuss the history and future of expandable spacecraft. HWHAP Episode 39.
Season 2, Episode 6: Spotify’s Direct Listing
Acquired wraps up a big few weeks of coverage with not an IPO or an M&A or a fundraising round, but what’s still the largest tech exit in recent memory: Spotify’s $30B direct public listing. We dive into what it all means and how we got here: from Napster to iTunes to Facebook (and even some Justin Timberlake thrown in for good measure). Acquired FM is on the scene and spinning all the hits from this new wave music industry titan!
Note: We incorrectly described Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s ownership stake in Spotify as 25%+; that is actually his voting control. His economic ownership is 9.3%, and cofounder Martin Lorentzon’s is 12.4%. We apologize for the error!
Sponsors:
- Legora: https://bit.ly/acquiredlegora
- Vanta: https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta
- ServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acquiredservicenow26
- Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig26
More Acquired!
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- Join the Slack
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- Merch Store!
© Copyright 2015-2026 ACQ, LLC
Links:
Carve Outs:
Stories of Her Strength
For Women’s History Month we brought in 4 women in leadership at the Johnson Space Center to share their stories of persevering through challenges and rising through the ranks. HWHAP Episode 38.
Season 2, Episode 5: The Dropbox IPO
Acquired is live on the scene following Dropbox’s public market debut. From playing a central role in the early days of Y Combinator, to having Steve Jobs famously label the company a “feature not a product”, to pivoting from consumers to enterprise to developers and back again, the silicon valley history runs deep with this one. What twists and turns lie ahead for Dropbox as a public company? We speculate!
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
Links:
Carve Outs:
- Ben: Raytracing comes to DirectX
- David: Lazy Game Reviews
Human vs. Machine
Dr. Tina Holden, Human Factors Technical Fellow with Leidos, talks about the challenges that astronauts may face when interacting with computers. Holden discusses some of the research that has been done on the space station to investigate these issues. HWHAP Episode 37.
Season 2, Episode 4: SoftBank, Fortress and the Vision Fund
Acquired dives into the topic on the minds and lips of just about every VC and founder these days: SoftBank’s $93B+ Vision Fund, and its seemingly-overnight rewriting of the rules of venture capital and startup fundraising. Where did this new 800lbs gorilla come from, what are its goals, and what does it mean for the future of silicon valley and the global tech ecosystem? The answer, it turns out, starts with an acquisition, and unfolds into a story no one has yet told and few yet understand. Luckily our heroes are on the case!
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
Links:
Carve Outs:
- Ben: eBoys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work
- David: Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy (starting with The Three-Body Problem)
- Bonus: shout out to Brian McCullough’s new podcast the Ride Home, in partnership with TechMeme!
Teacher on Board
Ricky Arnold, NASA Astronaut, talks about his time as an educator, his first flight on the Space Shuttle, and his plans to teach from space during his first long-duration flight on the International Space Station starting on March 21, 2018. HWHAP Episode 36.
A Ride in Orion
Jeff Fox, Chief Engineer of the Rapid Prototype Lab, talks about some of the testing and training for Orion. Fox brings the actual audio from inside the Orion capsule during its first flight so you, the listener, can experience what it would be like to ride inside the spacecraft. HWHAP Episode 35.