To ramp up production, Medtronic first had to overcome a supply chain disruption that caused a shortage of key parts. Medtronic took the unusual step of posting its ventilator designs online, and an engineer at SpaceX noticed that a critical part of Medtronic's ventilators matched a part used in SpaceX rockets, Martha said.
The phone call between Musk and Martha, held in the spring of 2020, came about to confirm the value of a partnership between the two companies they led, Martha says.
"[Musk] wanted to validate that we really needed it, and they could really be of assistance, but he was very supportive, and very easy to talk to," Martha says. "I was surprised, given all the businesses he has, how much he knew about this one part."
"He was very down to earth, very friendly, and very deep into the details, and was very helpful," Martha says.
Monstrous, to be sure, and obviously all part of the plan. I was hoping for something more in the "current events" category than the Spring of 2020, but if that's your best effort, thanks anyway.
I guess we must differ on our definition of "current events". You are reading all the way through my posts, not just stuck in your own mind wrapping your thoughts ever tighter together, right?
Are you talking about this?
How Elon Musk helped Medtronic tackle a ventilator crisis amid COVID-19 (12/1/2021)
Monstrous, to be sure, and obviously all part of the plan. I was hoping for something more in the "current events" category than the Spring of 2020, but if that's your best effort, thanks anyway.
I guess we must differ on our definition of "current events". You are reading all the way through my posts, not just stuck in your own mind wrapping your thoughts ever tighter together, right?
I may be asking way too much. My bad!