Strategy question
If Elon found you and made you the next GM, would you use spacex to launch air travel around the world?
- Meta
- Strategy
- Hard
Practice this question out loud. An AI interviewer asks it, follows up like a real interviewer would, and scores your answer. Type or speak.
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What this question tests
Strategic judgment on whether to pursue a bold, capital-intensive new business line, weighing market size against feasibility and risk.
How to approach it
- State the interpretation you would confirm with the interviewer: this is about SpaceX's point-to-point Starship travel concept, not literal rocket travel for everyone.
- Size the market: long-haul premium travelers where an hour-long global trip beats a twelve-plus-hour flight, a narrow but high-value segment.
- Assess the advantage: reusable rocket technology and falling launch cost that no competitor has at this stage.
- List the barriers: regulatory approval for populated-area landings, noise, safety certification, and enormous upfront infrastructure cost.
- Compare options: pursue it as a long-term bet funded by the existing launch business, or wait until orbital-launch safety data de-risks it.
- Recommend a phased approach: invest in R&D and regulatory groundwork now, but don't commit full resources until safety data justifies it.
What a strong answer includes
- Explicitly reframes the odd phrasing into a concrete strategic question before answering it.
- Sizes the addressable market narrowly and honestly as ultra-premium long-haul, not "everyone flies by rocket."
- Weighs regulatory and safety risk as the real blocker, not just cost.
- Gives a clear recommendation, phased rather than all-in, with reasoning tied to risk versus reward.
Common mistakes
- Answering literally without noting the odd premise or confirming intent.
- Ignoring regulatory and safety barriers entirely.
- Giving an enthusiastic yes or no with no market sizing or risk analysis.
Likely follow-up questions
- What regulatory approvals would you need first?
- How would you price this relative to first-class air travel?
- What is your fallback if reliability doesn't reach commercial safety standards?
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Learn the skill behind it
Chapters of the AI PM course that teach what this question tests.
- Chapter 4: Discovery and strategy for AI products
- Chapter 9: Prove it paid off: outcomes, economics, and pricing
- Chapter 14: Get the job: the AI PM interview loop