iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari joins us to talk about the hidden engineering behind modern electronics. What do glue, modularity, and repairability reveal about design and manufacturing? Plus: CES-week stories on cooling, satellites, and packaging, and a Reconstruction of Juicero, the over-engineered $700 juicer that became Silicon Valley’s favorite cautionary tale.

Links from the discussion:

iFixit: RedMagic 11 Pro Teardown: The Phone With a Tiny Pump Inside : ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHcglQFr-Ss⁠

The Verge – Racks of AI chips are too damn heavy : ⁠https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/844966/heavy-ai-data-center-buildout⁠

The Verge – Starlink and Chinese satellites nearly collided last week : ⁠https://www.theverge.com/news/844502/starlink-and-chinese-satellites-nearly-collided-last-week⁠

FT – The surprising survival of fashion catalogues : ⁠https://www.ft.com/content/ca0a447d-f8d5-4b6d-9143-a659be311a92⁠

TechCrunch – How Luminar’s doomed Volvo deal helped drag the company into bankruptcy : ⁠https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/16/how-luminars-doomed-volvo-deal-helped-drag-the-company-into-bankruptcy/⁠

Packaging Dive – Cold-chain packaging companies adapt as dry ice supply falters : ⁠https://www.packagingdive.com/news/cold-chain-packaging-adapt-dry-ice-supply-co2/807720/⁠

Juicero on Bloomberg : ⁠https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-04-19/silicon-valley-s-400-juicer-may-be-feeling-the-squeeze⁠

Juicero Teardown on Bolt : ⁠https://blog.bolt.io/juicero/

Spencer Wright, Editor-in-Chief of Scope of Work, joins Jon to uncover the hidden history of the plastic bottle, one of the most widely produced and least appreciated manufactured objects in the world. His essay, Evolution of the Plastic Bottle, published here on First Article, examines the bottle’s long evolution from early glass and acrylonitrile designs to today’s lightweight PET systems, exploring how advances in polymer chemistry, injection molding, and mass production turned an everyday object into an icon of industrial efficiency.

Jon and Alex also discuss the week’s biggest stories in manufacturing and materials—from Boeing’s completed Spirit AeroSystems acquisition to the growing strain of AI’s energy demand on the U.S. grid, and the expanding role of large-scale battery storage in stabilizing renewable energy.

The episode concludes with a Reconstruction segment on the 1982 Tylenol murders, when tampered capsules killed seven people and forced an industry-wide redesign of consumer packaging. The tragedy led to the creation of the tamper-evident seals and safety standards that are still with us today.

Links from the discussion:

Evolution of the Plastic Bottle: https://www.lumafield.com/first-article/posts/evolution-of-the-plastic-bottle

Scope of Work: https://www.scopeofwork.net/

Boeing completion of $4.7bn Spirit purchase paves way for Airbus supplier deal: https://www.ft.com/content/16abd98d-ae90-4876-b840-55725f2ca6a3

Millions of Defective Air Bags Have Been Recalled—but They’re Still Not Fixed: https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/recall-air-bag-not-fixed-050694a2

The power crunch threatening America’s AI ambitions: https://ig.ft.com/ai-power/

Once a Gamble in the Desert, Electric Grid Batteries Are Everywhere: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/business/energy-environment/battery-prices-electric-grids.html

We Bought a 450-Pound Mystery Pallet Packed With Returned Goods From Amazon and Beyond: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/mystery-amazon-pallet-unboxing/

Ralph Nader’s Pens Are Drying Out: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/ralph-nader-pens-drying-out/

Kyle Vogt, founder of Twitch, Cruise, and now The Bot Company, joins Go/No-Go to discuss what it takes to build practical, everyday robots. Drawing on his experience at Cruise and The Bot Company, he describes how AI and autonomy are merging with traditional hardware disciplines to create machines that can safely perform useful household and industrial tasks.

Jon and Kyle explore how today’s robotics startups must balance complexity and manufacturability to develop systems that can evolve through software while remaining cost-effective to produce at scale. Vogt also reflects on why the robotics field has generally shifted away from humanoid ambitions toward focused, purpose-built designs that solve real problems.

Jon and Alex round out the episode with manufacturing news, including iRobot’s near-collapse, the mixed reception of 1X Neo’s tele-operated home robot, our own investigation into battery quality issues with Haribo powerbanks. The Reconstruction segment revisits the decline of the American large sedan and the rise of crossover platforms that now define modern auto manufacturing.

Other links from the discussion:

The Bot Company Eyes $4 Billion Valuation: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-28/cruise-founder-kyle-vogt-s-robotics-startup-eyes-4-billion-valuation

iRobot Is in Trouble: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/roomba-obit/

1X Neo Home Robot: https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/i-tried-the-robot-thats-coming-to-live-with-you-its-still-part-human-68515d44

Honda Wheels Could Fall Off Due to an Italian Fence Mishap: https://www.ien.com/safety/video/22954694/honda-wheels-could-fall-off-due-to-an-italian-fence-mishap

The ultralight gummy bear power bank just got yanked from Amazon: https://www.theverge.com/news/818906/haribo-gummy-bear-power-bank-amazon-removed

Recycling Lead for U.S. Car Batteries Is Poisoning People: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/11/18/world/africa/lead-poisoning-car-battery.html

Aldi effect sweeps US supermarkets: https://www.ft.com/content/d70ff7b2-8096-45e4-829b-1de0ca321be9

Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA): https://global.toyota/en/mobility/tnga/

Upcoming Lumafield events: ⁠⁠https://www.lumafield.com/events⁠⁠

Skydio CEO Adam Bry joins Go/No-Go to talk about how drones have evolved from toys to tools to infrastructure, and how autonomy and AI could help American manufacturers regain ground in an industry long dominated by China.

Jon and Alex also cover this week’s headlines: the FCC’s new authority to ban DJI drones, private jet owners renting engines during supply shortages, the death of San Francisco’s bodega cat KitKat by a Waymo car, Coca-Cola’s recall over possible metal contamination, a chip startup challenging ASML, and the rise of luxury “superfakes.”

The episode closes with a Reconstruction segment on the modern history of civilian drones, from the early hobbyist days and GoPro’s Karma to DJI’s global dominance and the ongoing effort to rebuild a secure supply chain.

Other links from the discussion:

The FCC gives itself power to make a DJI drone ban stick: https://www.theverge.com/report/808104/fcc-order-retroactive-ban-transmitter-national-security

Private jet owners are renting aircraft engines amid shortages: https://www.ft.com/content/d97e30cf-ac15-40a6-a630-86a50745c28b

Waymo confirms its car killed San Francisco’s beloved bodega cat, KitKat: https://missionlocal.org/2025/10/waymo-confirms-its-car-killed-kitkat-mission-bodega-cat/

Coca-Cola recalls several products for potential metal contamination: https://www.today.com/food/recall/coca-cola-recall-2025-rcna239130

A startup challenges ASML’s dominance in chipmaking equipment: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/technology/can-a-start-up-make-computer-chips-cheaper-than-the-industrys-giants.html

How “superfakes” transformed luxury fashion and weakened major brands: https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/fake-handbags-fashion-luxury-dupes-b2827074.html

A massive airship spotted over San Francisco hints at the future of sustainable flight: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/pathfinder-1-airship-san-francisco/3971667/

Reports of disguised DJI drones sold through major retailers to evade restrictions: https://www.theverge.com/report/714103/dji-skyrover-x1-evade-ban-amazon

In this episode of Go/No-Go, Jon Bruner visits Northwood Space in Los Angeles to talk with Bridgit Mendler and Griffin Cleverly about how they’re rethinking satellite connectivity. Northwood is designing and manufacturing phased-array ground stations that make communicating with satellites faster, cheaper, and easier to scale.

Jon and Alex also break down the week’s manufacturing and product quality news — from cyberattacks on automakers to lead contamination in protein powder — and close with a Reconstruction of the 1986 Challenger disaster, unpacking the engineering and decision-making that led to tragedy.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to stay up to date when new episodes are released.

Other links from the discussion:

Northwood Space: https://www.northwoodspace.io/

Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack: https://www.ft.com/content/49a49961-0dc9-4d19-bb26-7020e07e465c

Lithium Battery Fire Aboard Air China Flight Forces an Emergency Landing: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/world/asia/air-china-flight-lithium-battery-fire.html

Wyoming nuclear waste storage: https://wyofile.com/radiant-scraps-wyoming-nuclear-microreactor-manufacturing-facility/

Lead in protein powder: https://www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein-powders-and-shakes-contain-high-levels-of-lead-a4206364640/

Pork price fixing: https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/tyson-price-fixing-pork-lawsuit-settlement-85m/802256/

Challenger O-Ring explainer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O_DMyHdq_M

The Challenger Launch Decision by Diane Vaughan: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo22781921.html

Upcoming Lumafield events: https://www.lumafield.com/events

Introducing Go/No-Go, a podcast that dives deep into the reality of designing, manufacturing, and delivering products that change the world. Our first guest is Tony Fadell, creator of the iPod, founder of Nest Labs, and principal at Build Collective. He reflects on the small and large decisions that made his products into category-defining successes. We also talk through recent news headlines and look back on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall, an event that brought battery fires into popular consciousness. Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to stay up to date when new episodes are released.

The Battery Quality Report: https://www.lumafield.com/battery-report

CT scans of iPods: https://www.lumafield.com/scan-of-the-month/ipod-evolution

Other links from the discussion:

Trump's Tariffs Are Damaging America's Biggest Foreign Source of Screws: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/business/taiwan-manufacturing-trump-tariffs.html

Waiting to buy a game console will cost you: https://www.theverge.com/report/782532/game-console-price-hikes-xbox-ps5-switch

Trump’s port fees will weaken China’s shipbuilding dominance, says shipping boss: https://www.ft.com/content/4000f841-58cd-4006-9b68-1d71bf5c0afd

De minimis elimination strains Lululemon’s fulfillment model: https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/lululemon-de-minimis-elimination-impact-2025/760670/

Shipping industry enlists AI to tackle rising number of cargo fires: https://www.ft.com/content/8e9c70f1-af80-4e9b-8171-59b1ad54aaf6

The US can't build ships: https://www.construction-physics.com/p/why-cant-the-us-build-ships

iMessage blog post: https://medium.com/message/its-kind-of-cheesy-being-green-2c72cc9e5eda

Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making (2022): https://www.buildc.com/the-book

Upcoming Lumafield events: https://www.lumafield.com/events

Go/No-Go is about the calls that make or break great products. We go deep into the reality of designing, manufacturing, and delivering products that change the world and reflect on the small and large decisions that make them what they are. We also cover the latest manufacturing and recall news, and look inside products using industrial CT to learn how things get built right (or wrong). Hosted by Jon Bruner and Alex Hao.