#15 HYSKY Pod: Val Miftakhov | Why I Stepped Down as ZeroAvia CEO

See Val Miftakhov live at FlyingHY https://www.hysky.org/flying-hyHuge thanks to our sponsor, Unither Bioelectronics https://unither.aero/en/What happens when one of hydrogen aviation's most influential pioneers steps down from the company he founded?In Episode #15 of HYSKY Pod, Danielle McLean sits down with Val Miftakhov, founder of ZeroAvia, to discuss his departure as CEO, the realities of certifying hydrogen aircraft, the impact of changing political landscapes on climate technology, and his next stealth AI energy venture.But this conversation quickly goes far beyond aviation.Val shares stories from his childhood in Siberia, the physics teacher who changed his life, his thoughts on AI, consciousness, digital immortality, mind uploading, the future of humanity, entrepreneurship, and why he believes the most transformative technologies of our lifetime are still ahead of us.This is one of the most philosophical, futuristic, and thought-provoking episodes of HYSKY Pod yet.Watch, subscribe, and join the conversation shaping the future of energy, aviation, AI, and humanity.KEY POINTS FOR QUICK NAVIGATION:01:25 Welcome & ZeroAvia leadership transition02:30 Why Val stepped down as CEO of ZeroAvia04:22 Funding challenges, politics & the new administration05:45 Val's stealth AI and energy startup revealed09:08 Growing up in Belarus and Siberia10:56 The physics teacher who changed his life forever16:38 Digital immortality, mind uploading & living forever20:13 Home labs, AI models & building local LLMs38:14 God, consciousness & the origins of the universe48:06 Favorite physicists, Oppenheimer & scientific leadership58:32 Building startups, failures & creating new industries01:02:08 Hydrogen aviation, certification & government regulation01:10:34 The UK's Hydrogen Sandbox explained01:11:02 The future of transportation & autonomous mobility01:12:37 A future of abundance, AI & humanity's purposeTOPICS DISCUSSED* ZeroAvia* Hydrogen aviation* Sustainable aviation* Fuel cell aircraft* AI energy systems* Grid balancing* Digital immortality* Consciousness* Mind uploading* Artificial intelligence* Large language models* Entrepreneurship* Startup leadership* Physics* Future technology* Autonomous transportation* Climate technology* Aviation certificationFOLLOW HYSKYSubscribe for conversations with the pioneers building the future of hydrogen, aviation, energy, AI, and advanced technology.#HYSKYPod #ZeroAvia #ValMiftakhov #HydrogenAviation #Hydrogen #FuelCells #SustainableAviation #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureTech #ClimateTech #EnergyTransition #Aviation #CleanEnergy #Podcast