Summation with Auren HoffmanAuren HoffmanAll episodes

Helion CEO David Kirtley on why fusion finally works

WithDavid Kirtley

Hosted byAuren Hoffman

David Kirtley is the co-founder and CEO of Helion Energy, the fusion company. Helion has raised more than $1.5 billion at a $15.5 billion valuation, and Sam Altman is its biggest investor and former chairman. Before fusion, David worked on rocket and space propulsion.
In this episode of Summation, David and Auren discuss:

• Skipping the steam turbine and pulling electricity straight out of a star
• How a Best Buy network card helped make fusion possible
• Regulating a 150 million degree machine like a hospital proton beam
• One cent power, and what happens when AI stops being limited by electricity

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and David Kirtley on X at @Dkirtley