In this special “Best of 2025” episode, Daniel Marrujo revisits three of the most compelling conversations of the year with Tsu-Jae King Liu, Stacie Williams, and Jennifer Buss—women whose work sits at the center of America’s technological, strategic, and scientific future. These are the voices shaping semiconductor innovation, national security thinking, and the next era of space capability. Through moments of challenge, personal turning points, and candid reflection, this episode reveals just how deeply these leaders influence the decisions and technologies that will define the decades ahead.
Daniel takes listeners deeper into the difficult questions each guest confronts: the global competition for technological advantage, the shrinking pipeline of American R&D investment, and the internal battles that shape every career trajectory. From geopolitics and workforce shortages to daylight satellite imaging breakthroughs and the unexpected life choices that led each woman into her field, this episode highlights the problem facing the United States and how to maintain leadership when its greatest challenges require long-term thinking.
Ultimately, their stories point toward a solution that’s both simple and difficult: the United States must commit to cultivating talent, investing in science, and listening to the people doing the work. Working from this, Tsu-Jae King Liu, Stacie Williams, and Jennifer Buss show us what that future can look like.