Ep 148: JoeBen Bevirt, Founder & CEO of Joby Aviation — Flying Cars Have Arrived

**JoeBen Bevirt** (0:00)
We are now in the next age of aviation, the electric age of aviation.

**Joe Lonsdale** (0:04)
You now have your first FAA confirming aircraft in flight.

**JoeBen Bevirt** (0:06)
It's a game changer. We've agreed with the FAA on every detail of the design, not just testing.

**Joe Lonsdale** (0:11)
We can buy a ride.

**JoeBen Bevirt** (0:12)
Exactly.

**Joe Lonsdale** (0:13)
What's the timing on this?

**JoeBen Bevirt** (0:14)
As soon as the end of this year.

**Joe Lonsdale** (0:15)
What do you need for it to land?

**JoeBen Bevirt** (0:16)
Texas is one of the places that's super flexible. All you need is the permission of the landowner.

**Joe Lonsdale** (0:20)
How fast are you letting them fly right now?

**JoeBen Bevirt** (0:22)
Up to 200 miles an hour.

**Joe Lonsdale** (0:22)
I love it.

**JoeBen Bevirt** (0:23)
I think it's really important to talk about what a game changer AI is. You take one of the greatest aerodynamic minds on the planet and you enable him with something that makes him 10x as productive. The benefits compound in a crazy way. This is the most profound technology, I think, in the history of humanity.

**Joe Lonsdale** (0:51)
Joe Ben from Joby Aviation is building the next great American Aviation company. Last time he was on the show a year ago, we were talking about the vision. Now we're talking about the execution. We just saw it fly past the Golden Gate Bridge. A government program put forward by the current administration means that we're gonna see his planes flying across the country. These are electric vertical takeoff and landing machines. They're 100 times quieter than a helicopter. They're much cheaper and much safer. Eventually, we're gonna have probably millions of things like this all around the country, getting people around everywhere, from rural to the city, to skip your commute, to get to the airport. He has new technologies he's working on. He can make aviation 10 times cheaper. He's already proving out new hydrogen technologies. They mean you can fly much farther with these at much lower cost. It sounds like I'm gonna be flying one in Texas within the next year. When are you gonna be on one? Let's hear from Joe Ben. Welcome to the American Optimist. Really excited to have Joe Ben back with us, the founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. Thanks for joining.

**JoeBen Bevirt** (1:46)
Thank you so much for inviting me. Wonderful to be with you.

**Joe Lonsdale** (1:49)
It's great to have you back on the show. Last summer, we talked about your vision, the conviction behind Joby. Now we're talking about execution. I'm impatient. I want a flying car to take me places around, especially around Texas. I think that'll be there first.

**JoeBen Bevirt** (2:01)
Texas is gonna be amazing.

**Joe Lonsdale** (2:01)
I think Texas will be first. I think California will eventually catch up. You did just fly it around the Golden Gate Bridge, I think just recently. Catch us up to speed. What's happened over the past year?

**JoeBen Bevirt** (2:08)
It's been an incredible year across so many different dimensions of the business. As you hit on, the name of the game is really ramping manufacturing. We've made capital investments to ramp from one to two aircraft a month, and now two to four aircraft a month. And we're so excited about what this new technology is going to bring. As you mentioned, we flew in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. We acquired Blades Passenger Business. So it's the helicopter service that operate in New York and really does a great job of previewing the future that we're bringing. We're so excited to be celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary and to be doing an Electric Skies Tour where we extend what we did here in San Francisco to communities across the country. Can't wait to come to Texas.

**Joe Lonsdale** (2:50)
So remind us for the audience here, you bought the helicopter company. You're going to replace it eventually with all Joby's.
Why do that? Why are these better? How do they compare to helicopters? Who can use them?

**JoeBen Bevirt** (3:01)
At the core, this is an electric aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter, but it has a wing. And so it can transition and fly on that wing that makes it more efficient and it makes it quieter. The acoustics are critical to what we're trying to build. We want a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that you can land as close to the communities that you're looking to serve. And so that's one of the reasons why states like Texas are such a game changer and we can't wait to bring the service there.