Kevin Weil, a distinguished technology executive with an impressive career spanning Twitter, Meta, Planet Labs, and OpenAI, has been appointed to the board of directors at Stoke Space. This Seattle-based startup is well-capitalized and focused on developing reusable rockets, positioning itself as a direct competitor to SpaceX.
Stoke CEO Andy Lapsa recounted to TechCrunch the early days of their relationship, which began when he co-founded Stoke in 2020 and subsequently joined Y Combinator’s winter batch. Lapsa candidly admitted, “It’s real simple for me. I came out of engineering, started a company, had no idea how to fundraise. I had no idea how Silicon Valley worked. I had no network.” He highlighted Weil’s pivotal role as an early investor, alongside his wife Elizabeth through their fund Scribble Ventures, in providing the essential background and guidance for fundraising and launching the company.
Their discussions continued as Lapsa successfully secured $1.34 billion in funding, including a substantial $510 million Series D round in 2025, aimed at building a rapidly reusable rocket projected to fly this year. The timing now appears opportune for Weil to formally join the board as a director, tasked with guiding the company through its next phase of scaling. Stoke declined to make Weil available for an interview, and he did not respond to TechCrunch’s inquiries.
Weil’s professional background primarily lies in digital products and platforms, an area not immediately apparent on Stoke’s current development roadmap. Most recently, he headed OpenAI’s initiatives to accelerate scientific research, a role he departed in April after the program’s work was more broadly integrated across the frontier lab. Prior to that, he served as OpenAI’s chief product officer from June 2024 to October 2025.
Weil’s recent tenure at OpenAI prompts a notable question: OpenAI’s Sam Altman was reportedly exploring investment opportunities in Stoke last year, considering it as a potential rival to SpaceX. This raises speculation about whether Weil could serve as a bridge between the frontier AI lab and a future partner in the space sector. Lapsa, however, dismissed such inquiries as “gossip and rumors” concerning OpenAI, asserting that Weil’s focus is solely on Stoke itself.
Stoke is developing a rocket named Nova, engineered for complete reusability and designed to fly repeatedly. This ambitious goal is unprecedented in the industry, with SpaceX’s Starship currently representing the closest endeavor. The immense technological hurdles, particularly the challenge of a rocket surviving the extreme heat of atmospheric reentry, have historically deterred even the most well-funded space investors. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, where Lapsa previously worked, has explored this concept but has not made it a strategic priority.
Nevertheless, SpaceX’s impactful stock market debut, with much of its valuation tied to Elon Musk’s assurances that Starship will undertake operational missions this year, has affirmed Lapsa’s foresight. Despite billions of dollars invested in new launch vehicles, there remains a significant shortage of available rockets. The next company to successfully deploy a reasonably-priced, regularly flying rocket is poised for substantial success.
“The world is realizing that launch is still not solved,” Lapsa stated. He added, “The idea of full, rapid reuse was a little bit out there at that time…that’s now been rather normalized, and people see the inevitable now.”
Intriguingly, the concept of establishing distributed data centers in space to harness solar power and bypass terrestrial political constraints has captivated several venture capitalists. The primary impediment to this vision is the prohibitive cost of transporting vast quantities of computer chips into orbit. Lapsa emphasized that space data centers “really only make sense with full rapid reuse,” suggesting this could be a crucial differentiator for Stoke once its rocket becomes operational.
Securing military contracts will also be vital for Stoke’s success, and Weil brings valuable experience in bridging the divide between Silicon Valley and the Department of Defense. He was one of four prominent tech leaders who joined the U.S. Army Reserve, aiming to enhance recruitment and foster collaboration between the Army and the tech industry. Furthermore, this isn’t Weil’s first foray into the space business; he served as president of Planet Labs, a satellite earth observation company, for three years, including its public listing in 2021.
Regardless of the strategic contributions Weil will bring as the company moves closer to delivering an operational launch vehicle, Stoke’s ultimate success hinges on its ability to execute.
“We’ve got a good chunk of the risk behind us, we’ve got more to go,” Lapsa concluded. “We’ll work as hard as we can, and we’ll go when it’s ready.”
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