The New Lunar Society: Reclaiming Process Innovation

In The New Lunar Society, David Mindell delivers a timely reminder: progress isn’t just about what we invent. It’s about how we make things—and how we make them better. 

Mindell calls for a return to the values of the original Lunar Society: collaboration, systems thinking, and the fusion of practical know-how with scientific insight. This isn’t just a story about the past. It’s a blueprint for what we need next. 

For decades—especially in the U.S.—product innovation has reigned supreme. Flashy apps, sleek software, and rapid iterations dominate headlines. Meanwhile, process innovation—the art of improving how we produce, distribute, and maintain—has faded into the background. 

But that’s changing. Quietly, physical AI, advanced manufacturing, and sustainable systems are putting industrialization back in the spotlight. And with them, a new respect for the processes that make real innovation possible. 

“Invention and new technology are insufficient on their own. What's needed is a cultural movement aimed at transforming systems—from manufacturing to energy, mobility, and food supplies—a new Industrial Enlightenment.” 

History as Blueprint: The Original Builders 

Mindell draws a direct line from today’s industrial moment to the thinkers and makers of 250 years ago: Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, William Small, Matthew Boulton, James Watt, Josiah Wedgwood. 

These weren’t just inventors. They were builders of systems. They married theory with practice, and vision with scale. They believed in progress—not just through making new things, but by making things better. 

Seen through the right lens, the Enlightenment wasn’t just about ideas—it was about execution. A cultural engine powered by builders who believed process was as vital as invention

Breaking the False Divide: Product vs. Process 

A core message in the book is this: America fell into a false dichotomy. We glorified product innovation and dismissed process innovation as second-tier—hardware as low status, software as king. 

“For at least the past generation, process innovation in America has been distinctly a rung down on the creative ladder below product innovation…” 

Mindell makes it plain: this mindset hollowed out our industrial base. We offshored manufacturing, lost control of production, and treated R&D as something separate from operations. But as he shows—especially in case studies like TSMC—you can’t decouple process from innovation. If you don’t control how it’s made, you don’t control the innovation itself. 

What Industrialization Means Going Forward 

Industrialization today is not about smokestacks or mass production. It’s about building resilient, adaptable systems that can deliver food, energy, mobility, and meaningful work—at scale, under stress, and across global networks. 

We’re entering a new industrial age—one defined by physical AI, digitized factories, distributed energy, and software-augmented workers. But above all, this new industrialization must be human-centered. Flexible, inclusive, and grounded in real-world performance. 

This is not just about going faster. It’s about building smarter, more durable systems that deliver value over time—not just headlines on launch day. 

Beyond the Prototype: What Real Innovation Looks Like 

One of the most powerful contrasts in The New Lunar Society is between New York City’s 24/7 subway system and the billions being poured into autonomous vehicles. 

At 3 a.m., subway trains in Queens are packed—not with tourists, but with nurses, cooks, and cleaners.  It’s electric, green, human-operated, and—despite decades of underinvestment—it works.  It’s not flashy. It’s essential. 

Meanwhile, AV startups chase sleek autonomy, burning capital while struggling to navigate real-world complexity.  They promise disruption but often deliver fragility. Mindell uses this example to underscore a deeper truth:  We’ve become so obsessed with what’s new, we’ve neglected what actually works. 

We underinvest in maintenance. We undervalue repair. We ignore the brilliance embedded in operational systems and frontline work. Whether it’s Wedgwood’s factory floor or a transit maintenance crew working overnight, real innovation lies in the systems that endure. Get excited about maintenance.  Think in systems.  Marry product and process.  Value human intelligence at every level. 

It’s time to shift our admiration—from disruption to durability. 

Policy Can Spark It—But Builders Will Lead It 

Recent policy efforts like the CHIPS Act, IRA, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are a critical shift. They show that the U.S. is taking industrial capacity seriously again. 

But Mindell is clear: policy alone can’t build a new industrial age.  That will come from the ground up—from technologists, operators, and process thinkers who lead with execution, not just vision. 

“Government support can shape but cannot force a change in American technological culture.” 

The future will be built not by inventors alone, but by the people who know how to walk the floor, fix what breaks, and improve what works. 

Why It Resonates: A Blueprint for Builders 

This message hit me hard. 

I’ve spent my career around brilliant engineers—people with incredible technical skill and product vision.  But again and again, I found myself asking the hard questions: 

Will this scale? Will it work in the field? Who’s going to maintain it? 

Often, I felt like the kid from the fable—the one pointing out the emperor has no clothes. What this book helped me realize is that those questions are the work.  Spotting the gaps isn’t cynicism—it’s leadership. 

As a history buff, I’ve always been drawn to how past industrial revolutions didn’t come from lone inventors.  They came from builders—people who bridged theory and practice, who turned ideas into durable systems that shaped economies and societies. That’s what we need again. 

The New Lunar Society isn’t just a story about where we’ve been.  It’s a blueprint for where we need to go. A call to action for a new generation of leaders—people who care about process, who understand scale, and who want to build for the long haul. 

We don’t need more hype.  We need more builders. To paraphrase another masterpiece (guess I’m that old :)):  It’s not “If you build it, they will come.”  It’s “If you build it right—they’ll stay, scale, and sustain.”