Tom Rush

Did I just sleep through GPT-5.6 launch? this is from the chatgpt website

Many podcasters ask me what Delta's number one selection criterion is for a candidate. I think, more than anything, they look for people who do not know the meaning of the word "quit." Whether you’re looking to join Delta or seeking success in any life choice, refusing to quit will take you very far. The photo is of me coming into the last point on the last day of Delta's Selection and Assessment. I just did 40 miles, carrying 58 pounds in my pack. It took me 15 hours and 15 minutes. I had no idea this was the last day, the finish. I no longer felt that I was connected with my body. I was just moving forward. I didn’t know the meaning of the word “quit.”

The memes that spread through Elon’s companies: 1: Tip-of-the-spear focus Always identify and attack the biggest limiter. Don’t spread effort across secondary problems. Laser in on the single constraint that, if removed, would unlock everything downstream. 2: Push through roadblocks A roadblock isn’t a reason, it’s a problem statement. You either clear it or escalate until someone does. 3: Scrappiness Cost-sensitive resourcefulness over bureaucratic process. SpaceX’s scrappy approach extends everywhere: reusing test hardware, hacking tools together, building ground support equipment from industrial components instead of aerospace-grade systems. Small teams build end-to-end instead of handing off between specialized groups. Engineers are expected to design, build, and test what they own. Musk calls the alternative “ivory tower engineering” — design something, throw it over the wall, and let someone else figure out how to actually make it. At SpaceX, the person who drew the bracket is the person who welds it. 4: Question requirements Every constraint — customer, regulatory, internal — is treated as a hypothesis to interrogate, not a fact to accept. This is the embodiment of first principles thinking. 5: Treat everything as learning Failures and explosions are data for the next iteration, not disasters to be concealed. SpaceX published compilation videos titled “How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket.” Spectacular droneship crashes, set to music. This isn’t just PR, it’s a genuine signal that visible failure is acceptable if you extract the lesson.