Rapid Response: The promise and peril of engineering biology, w/Ginkgo Bioworks Reshma Shetty
Masters of Scale
WaitWhat
4.6 • 4.4K Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2021
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine would not have scaled without Ginkgo Bioworks. Reshma Shetty, co-founder and COO of Ginkgo – slated to go public via SPAC acquisition at a reported $15 billion valuation – explains how biotech innovation can build a better future now. Ginkgo's platform already serves industries from food and agriculture, to materials, to healthcare. Shetty acknowledges that engineering genes is a high stakes pursuit, and says Ginkgo is trying to pair the ambition of Silicon Valley with a "higher level of care" than consumer tech companies like social media have demonstrated. The key, Shetty says, is creating an unstable equilibrium – propelling progress but not at the expense of principles.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey listeners, this is Chris Gotier, I'm one of the producers of Masters of Scale. |
| 0:04.8 | I want to tell you about a show from our friends at Harvard Business Review that might help you better understand the world of business. |
| 0:11.0 | It's called HBR IdeaCast. |
| 0:14.0 | Each week, Harvard Business Review editors bring you the world's leading business and management experts. |
| 0:19.3 | But it isn't just another business podcast. |
| 0:21.8 | We think you will find so many connections from IdeaCast to how we hear at Masters of Scale think about scaling our business. |
| 0:29.6 | For instance, they often approach business challenges from contrarian points of view, telling surprising stories, |
| 0:35.5 | like, what can we learn from NASA about managing high-risk projects? |
| 0:40.1 | And what can a comedian teach us about using humor to lead a team? |
| 0:44.8 | Subscribe to HBR IdeaCast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:50.1 | Now onto the show. |
| 0:52.9 | Hi everyone, it's Bob. Today we're re-releasing an episode with Ginkgo Biowork's co-founder, Resh Meshetty, recorded in 2021. |
| 1:01.7 | President Biden recently announced a new phase in the war on cancer. |
| 1:06.1 | What he calls a cancer moon shot where biotech will play a key role. |
| 1:10.3 | The centerpiece is a new agency modeled on DARPA called the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, |
| 1:16.5 | or ARPAH, which is being headed by an executive from Ginkgo Bioworks. |
| 1:21.5 | This episode explains what synthetic biology is, the impact it's already had in fighting COVID-19, |
| 1:27.9 | and the breadth of innovation it's enabling, not just in healthcare, but across multiple industries. |
| 1:33.9 | Since the episode was recorded, Ginkgo Bioworks has become a public company, |
| 1:38.1 | and though its share price is suffered with a broader market in 2022, |
| 1:42.1 | it remains a multi-billion dollar enterprise. |
| 1:45.1 | Resh Meshetty's lasting lessons go beyond science, |
... |
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