Building our piece of the electric stack

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Collectively, the electric stack (batteries, motors, chips, power electronics) has gotten about 99% cheaper since 1990. It is quietly remaking every machine that turns electricity into motion, heat, or work. Problem is, China makes most of it. Sam D’Amico, co-author of “The Electric Slide” and founder of Impulse Labs, is betting the US can still claim a piece of that stack. He’s starting with a battery-powered induction cooktop. We talk about why domestic manufacturing matters, what America would actually have to build to compete, and how Silicon Valley’s founder world really thinks about climate change, geoengineering included. Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 02:52 – From VR headsets to kitchen appliances 07:07 – How a pizza oven inspired a battery stove 10:07 – Peak demand, at home and on the grid 13:25 – Which appliances could use a built-in battery 16:46 – Electric stack 1: the four technologies 20:28 – Electric stack 2: power electronics and motors 25:21 – China bets on hardware, the US bets on AI 30:08 – Why not just buy it all from China? 33:51 – Why engineers need to be near the factory 38:39 – How much does the US need to make at home? 45:19 – US EV policy and letting Chinese cars in 47:49 – Batteries in appliances vs. one home battery 52:04 – Impulse’s plan: its tech in other brands’ stoves 55:17 – What’s next after the stove 57:14 – Has Silicon Valley stopped caring about climate?