A decade ago, Sal Khan envisioned using technology to tailor education to individual and community needs.
Astro Teller says the momentum within X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory, depends on teams discovering as fast as possible if something is a bad idea, so they can move on to the next one. That requires a work environment where both creativity and critical thinking are rewarded. “Every place is a legitimate place for ideas to come from,” Teller says. “You can’t destroy the positivity that comes from saying crazy ideas.”