John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram: Speed & Scale’s Reality Check
In 2021, legendary investor John Doerr outlined his plan to solve climate change in his bestseller “Speed & Scale.” The plan outlines 10 objectives, each with their own set of key results, to cut emissions to net zero. And in true John Doerr style, the results are to be measurable and trackable.
Now, five years later, Doerr and co-author Ryan Panchadsaram unveil their 2026 update, revealing where the world is winning, where it's falling behind, and what it will take to close the gap.
Guests:
John Doerr, Venture capitalist; Chair, Kleiner Perkins
Ryan Panchadsaram, Advisor to the Chairman, Kleiner Perkins
Aliya Haq, President, Clean Economy Project (CleanEcon)
Robinson Meyer, Founding Executive Editor, Heatmap News
Nancy E. Pfund, Founder and Managing Partner, DBL Partners
For show notes, transcript, and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/podcasts
Highlights:
00:00 – Intro
01:00 – John Doerr on how his plan differs from others
05:30 – Ryan Panchadsaram: updated plan focuses on what needs to be built, rather than cut
08:30 – Bright spot: deployment of solar and wind
10:00 – Big challenges: methane leaks
15:30 – Keeping accountable with shifting deadlines
19:00 – Where government succeeds and fails in addressing climate
21:30 – Where tech industry/VC succeeds and fails in addressing climate
29:00 – Reframing the climate narrative around the good news
33:20 – Aliya Haq: load growth is an incredible opportunity for us to advance clean
37:00 – Coalition uniting to fix the grid and make policy work for clean energy
39:00 – Robinson Meyer on geopolitical energy shocks and reconsideration of fuel sources
44:15 – Race for clean tech is a “frenemy” competition
48:00 – Nancy Pfund: Clean energy remains a very “investable” area
52:00 – Cost curves for EVs, solar are inexorable – we just need to build policy to support it
54:00 – Climate One More Thing
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