Conversation with Christian Elam

Summary

This wide-ranging conversation with Christian Elam, a policy advisor working at the intersection of defense, space technology, and government relations, revealed numerous potential collaboration opportunities. Christian shared details about his work with NASA's 2040 Project to build a self-sustaining civilization on the moon and his various political connections. The discussion covered potential collaborations around Alpha Schools, America's 250th anniversary celebration possibilities, and mutual connections in political and tech spheres. Christian expressed interest in collaborating with Gary on educational initiatives and offered to connect him with his extensive network in Washington.

Key Discussion Points

NASA 2040 Project and Space Initiatives

• Christian is bringing in the Deputy Associate Administrator at NASA as an operating partner for a new fund
• NASA has published 187 technical challenges they need solutions for, which Christian plans to help address through incubating companies
• The 2040 Project aims to build the first self-sustaining human civilization on the moon by 2040
• The project involves 53 member countries who have signed on in support
• Working with XPRIZE and the Milken Institute on space initiatives
• Planning to run a large-scale manufacturing facility for lasers in Utah

"The 2040 Project is building the first self-sustaining human civilization on the moon by 2040. And it's with 53 member countries who have signed on to our support. It's not just the U.S."

"NASA published 187 technical pitfalls, things that they need that they don't have... And so, we will be incubating some of those things and instantly can get them a NASA contract within a few days."

Political Connections and Influence

• Recently attended the Milken conference (May 2025)
• Working with Bishop TD Jakes on NASA initiatives
• Plans to meet with the Huntsman, Miller, and Koch families in Utah
• Scheduled meetings with Utah's governor and three congressional representatives
• Connections to Tim Stewart (brother of former Congressman Chris Stewart)
• Invited Gary to Fourth of July gathering with influential people at his DC apartment
• Self-described as "right-leaning" but moderate and independent
• Critical of big tech's approach to content moderation and child safety

"I'm very moderate. I'm a registered independent. But I'm right-leaning, I'll say. And I think... Trump winning, when it's amazing for America. But Trump winning is great for the Democratic Party. But it's really forcing them to have a hard reset."

"Please tell the congresswoman that every month that she does not pass my bill, 180,000 attempts a month of kids. And this is not hospitalized. This is not toilet therapist. Apple's not gone."

Alpha Schools Collaboration

• Expressed strong interest in learning more about and potentially collaborating on Alpha Schools
• Discussed how education ties into space and technology development
• Shared Elon Musk's view that the bottleneck for space development is not rocket demand but finding people smart enough to manage complex problems
• Saw synergies between education initiatives and NASA's need for developing future talent

"I wanna see what Alpha Schools actually looks like. How it's calculated... So, it's like operational, like in person?"

"Elon talks to us about, and everyone, and he said it publicly too, that the biggest bottleneck is not NASA's demand for rockets. It's smart enough people that can actually manage the problem."

America's 250th Anniversary and World's Fair Concept

• Discussed the congressional planning committee for America's 250th anniversary (2026)
• Explored idea of creating an alternate/parallel celebration that could be more ambitious
• Brainstormed concept of a modern World's Fair to showcase American innovation
• Discussed involving Dr. Lael Alexander (Gary's contact who helped develop Shenzhen) for rapid infrastructure development
• Debated whether to work through official government channels or create a separate private initiative

"I don't want to wait until we're old as fuck, dude. It needs to be epic, man. Dude, no one alive remembers the last World's Fair."

"To whatever extent it's just a waste of time to work with the governments, like the 250 commission, create a whole parallel shadow government that is organized, that shadow mobilization, right? That creates, like, in that particular case, a world's fair that then Trump can still back."

Government and Private Sector Relationship

• Discussed the limitations of government-led initiatives
• Explored public-private partnership models for major projects
• Christian advocated for government to "remove the red tape and support some of the funding" but not be relied upon entirely
• Considered how to engage wealthy private citizens in projects of national significance

"Which is why we cannot rely on the government for anything."

"Well, the government almost just needs to get out of the way. Really, right?"

"They need to remove the red tape and they need to support some of the funding. To see it all."

Memorable Quotes

"It's really all-encompassing. It's not just building rockets or something. It's like the arts department has to coordinate with the engineering school. It has to coordinate with the business school. So, it's very well-rounded."

"You need ridiculously ambitious goals to get the smartest people excited about things. And ultimately, just out of a side effect of trying, you fix all the problems in the world."

"So many wealthy people in the country that would love to die for the opportunity to be forever memorialized as, like, essentially a re-founding father, right? That would be the pitch. It's a very easy sell. You want to be a founding father of America 2.0?"

"We're working with Draco right now on mental health."

Action Items

1. NASA/Space Education Collaboration: Explore potential integration of Alpha Schools model with NASA's educational needs.
2. Utah Connections: Follow up on Christian's Utah meetings to explore school creation opportunities there.
3. Fourth of July Event: Consider attending Christian's Fourth of July gathering with influential contacts.
4. America 250 Initiative: Research the official America 250 commission and explore parallel private initiative possibility.
5. DC Network Introduction: Coordinate with Christian to be introduced to key political figures relevant to education innovation.
6. Austin Visit: Plan for Christian's potential visit to Austin in late June to showcase Alpha Schools.

Next Steps

Christian and Gary agreed to continue their discussion, with Christian potentially visiting Austin in late June to learn more about Alpha Schools. Gary expressed interest in Christian's Fourth of July gathering in DC, which would provide opportunities to meet influential contacts. Both showed enthusiasm for collaboration around education, space technology, and potentially a major initiative for America's 250th anniversary celebration.

Observations

• Christian appears well-connected across political, technology, and space sectors
• Both Gary and Christian share an appetite for ambitious, civilization-scale projects
• There's clear alignment on the importance of education innovation and development of future talent
• Christian seems genuinely interested in Alpha Schools and its potential applications
• The conversation revealed mutual frustration with bureaucratic limitations and preference for private initiative
• Christian's connections in Utah could be valuable for Gary's mentioned school creation opportunity there