Ethan Leas

Jul 29, 2026

Decisions

Active Todos

Patterns

Decisions (1)

Took the Fuzzball pitch to Axiom Space himself rather than letting Sales carry it - and set the closing path at NDA then contract

On the 7/28 Axiom Space CTO introductory call (Mark Seigle and Ethan Leas, with Tom Shingler, Ramesh Srinivasan and Bjorn on the CIQ side), Peter learned Axiom is building an orchestration platform for sovereigns and immediately concluded CIQ needs to get Fuzzball in front of them. When Bjorn asked whether Tom was pitching it, Peter answered I did. He read out the technical fit in real time - they will need post-quantum work which is already on the roadmap and they seemed happy with that, and they will need Ascender plus updates to run well over low-connectivity satellite links - set the next step as sign an NDA and start talking contract, and named the strategic window: they are just starting, so they are in a position to choose OS cleanly right now. Mark said he wants to close in weeks. Peter told Bjorn yeah if we lose this we suck and posted in the deal channel sounds like it is ours to lose. Ramesh confirmed Axiom is moving forward with the NDA.

Jul 29

strategy

Related Patterns (4)

Executive Sponsorship for Strategic Partnerships

Strategic cross-company initiatives and major client partnerships require executive-level accountability to move at the right pace and ensure proper prioritization.

172 occurrences78% success

Small Circle for Sensitive Operations

When executing sensitive strategic operations, keep the circle of informed people as small as possible to prevent leaks that could accelerate hostile action or undermine the initiative.

169 occurrences78% success

Protect Engineering Capacity

When external demands threaten to overload engineering capacity, protect capacity by either requiring the demand to come with additional resources, or forcing hard prioritization choices upstream.

161 occurrences79% success

Reclassify to Route - Decide Who Owns It, Then Give a Criterion Not a Verdict

When a question arrives at Peter framed in one domain, he often does not answer it in that framing. He reclassifies it into the domain that actually governs the outcome, which relocates ownership to whoever owns that lane, and then hands down a decision criterion rather than a verdict. The reclassification IS the decision - it determines who decides. He does this rather than adjudicating on the merits himself, even when he was explicitly cc-ed and even when a direct report challenges him on the substance.

42 occurrences80% success