Former fighter pilot and host John Ramstead sits down with Dr. Alex Williams for a fast paced masterclass on building world class engineering cultures and the future of aerospace. Alex traces his path from Pratt & Whitney’s combustor technology group to running research labs inside Apple, where he helped pioneer materials innovations such as 7000 series aluminum for iPhone and the engineered titanium surface for Apple Watch. He contrasts slow, committee driven aerospace workflows with Apple’s high velocity, quality obsessed model, then applies those lessons to three urgent vectors shaping aviation today: autonomy and control software, anti drone defenses, and American reindustrialization. Along the way, you will hear practical advice for leaders who want to move faster without sacrificing safety or quality.
Episode Highlights
- Pratt & Whitney to Apple. How exposure to elite aerospace programs and Apple’s materials teams shaped Alex’s approach to speed, iteration, and perfection in production.
- Design language and materials. Why Apple committed to aluminum, what Bendgate taught the industry, and how engineered surfaces beat coatings for durability and consistency.
- Culture beats process. The difference between waterfall style roll ups and an environment where excellence is expected and 100 percent inspection is normal.
- The next aerospace race. Why autonomy, anti drone tech, and supply chain reinvention will decide competitiveness and even save lives.
- Leadership playbook. How to create a failure tolerant culture, pair veteran expertise with hungry young talent, and align boards and executives around innovation.
Key Points with Timestamps
- [00:00:00] Cold open. Alex on freedom to explore ideas and why that mattered early in his career
- [00:00:49] Host intro, sponsor mention (XTI Aerospace), audience framing for innovators and investors
- [00:01:43] Meet the guest. From PhD to Pratt & Whitney to Apple’s internal research labs
- [00:04:07] Early path. Joining combustor technology development, customers NASA and the U.S. Air Force
- [00:06:27] Reliability spectrum. From the TF30’s shortcomings to the PT6’s bulletproof reputation
- [00:07:30] Learning from legends. Sitting next to F119 engineers and absorbing 50 years of know how
- [00:10:06] Transition to Apple. Materials development to serve function and cosmetics at scale
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