PeopleofSuperintelligence

Lab leader

Astro Teller

Also known as Eric Teller

Astro Teller is an AI-trained inventor and entrepreneur who leads X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory. Born in Cambridge, England, he grew up in Evanston, Illinois, after moving to the United States as a young child. At Carnegie Mellon, he developed PADO for object recognition and explored genetic programming and signal understanding in his thesis work. He co-founded BodyMedia before helping launch X, where he shaped its method for testing new technologies and coauthored Stanford’s 2016 report *Artificial Intelligence and Life in 2030*. As of October 2026, he is X’s Captain of Moonshots and is outlining a path for X moonshots to become independent companies.

Now at
Google
Works
26
Citations
941
h-index
13
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 18 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1995–1998

    PADO for object recognition

    He studies computer science and symbolic and heuristic computation at Stanford, then earns a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence at Carnegie Mellon. In 1995, he develops PADO for object recognition, publishes a genetic-programming study in 1996, and writes his 1998 thesis on algorithm evolution for signal understanding. Before moving into business, he teaches at Stanford and does engineering research for Phoenix Laser Technologies, Stanford’s Center for Integrated Systems, and The Carnegie Group.

  2. 1998–1999

    From SANDbOX to BodyMedia

    After completing his AI doctorate, he and three Carnegie Mellon associates launch SANDbOX Advanced Development in 1998 and co-found BodyMedia in 1999.

  3. By 2002

    SenseWear for remote health

    By 2002, BodyMedia’s SenseWear armband lets physicians and researchers remotely monitor blood pressure, sleep patterns, and adherence to obesity programs.

  4. 2010–2016

    Writing X’s moonshot manual

    X starts as Google[x] in 2010 with a mission to invent and launch moonshot technologies. In February 2016, he gives a TED talk about projects such as balloon-powered internet and airborne wind turbines. By July 2016, he serves as X’s Captain of Moonshots and publishes the Moonshot Factory Operating Manual, which sets criteria for ideas with 10x impact; in September 2016, he coauthors Stanford’s *Artificial Intelligence and Life in 2030* report as a study-panel member.

  5. By 2018

    From Cambridge to X

    Born in Cambridge, England, he moves to the United States at about two and a half years old and grows up in Evanston, Illinois. By 2018, he leads X as Captain of Moonshots after helping to co-found it.

  6. November 2025

    Explaining X’s learning process

    At AfroTech in November 2025, he discusses how his X team systematizes innovation and focuses on the learning process.

  7. As of October 2026

    Funding new moonshot startups

    As of October 2026, he is X’s Captain of Moonshots. In August 2026, he outlines a Series X partnership that funds selected X moonshots as new startups.

Career

  1. Since 2010GoogleCo-founder, Captain of Moonshots
  2. From 1999BodyMediaCo-founder
  3. Until 1998Stanford UniversityTeacher
  4. Until 1998Phoenix Laser TechnologiesEngineering researcher
  5. Until 1998Carnegie GroupEngineering researcher
  6. From 1998SANDbOX Advanced DevelopmentCo-founder

Education

  1. 1998Carnegie Mellon UniversityPh.D.
  2. Stanford University

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Artificial Intelligence and Life in 2030: The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence2022 · 241 citationsWith David C. Parkes, Ece Kamar, Erik Brynjolfsson, Gregory Hager, Julia B. Hirschberg and Kevin Leyton-Brown
  2. PADO: A New learning Architecture For Object Recognition1997 · 123 citationsWith Manuela Veloso
  3. PADO: Learning Tree Structured Algorithms for Orchestration into an Object Recognition System1995 · 91 citationsWith Manuela Veloso
  4. Evolving Team Darwin United1999 · Lecture notes in computer science · 89 citations
  5. Turing completeness in the language of genetic programming with indexed memory2002 · 73 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 18 October 2026.

  1. 14% of AI doctorate holders from 2010 to 2016 founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduationIncludes Astro Teller. We estimate how often AI doctorate holders founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after their doctorate, and how the timing changed across cohorts.
  2. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes Google. Our estimates of combined and median h-index at AI organizations, using current affiliations and OpenAlex records.
  3. Google alumni founded or led 82 other organizations, the most among the labs we compareIncludes Google. We trace 189 organizations founded or led by AI lab alumni, and 196 career moves between the labs.
  4. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Includes Google. Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI from 1961 to 2025, with a year-by-year chart.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Astro Teller yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Astro Teller - Google X x.company. Checked 18 October 2026.
  2. Technical Papers | Astro Teller astroteller.net. Checked 18 October 2026.
  3. The New Entrepreneurs cmu.edu. Checked 18 October 2026.
  4. The Moonshot Factory Operating Manual x.company. Checked 18 October 2026.
  5. The unexpected benefit of celebrating failure | TED Talk ted.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  6. Participants | One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence (AI100) ai100.stanford.edu. Checked 18 October 2026.
  7. Astro Teller's Interview ahf.nuclearmuseum.org. Checked 18 October 2026.
  8. AfroTech 2025: How X Develops Moonshot Technologies to Solve World Problems x.company. Checked 18 October 2026.
  9. Bringing Moonshots to Market x.company. Checked 18 October 2026.