JetZero co-founder & CEO Tom O’Leary
Tom O’Leary is on a mission to reshape how we fly. He’s the co-founder and CEO of JetZero, an aviation startup building a blended-wing body aircraft that aims to use up to 50% less fuel than today’s commercial jets.
That means it could, in theory, cut both fuel burn and emissions in half — making it cheaper and greener for airlines to operate.
The pitch? Helping carriers dramatically reduce costs on what's typically their single biggest expense, while helping them hit sustainability and emissions targets more easily.
Sounds simple, right? Not quite.
JetZero is trying to take flight in an industry long dominated by a duopoly — Boeing and Airbus — where new entrants face enormous technical, financial and regulatory barriers for obvious reasons.
Yet the California-based company is backed by the US Air Force and United Airlines, and targeting commercial service in the early 2030s.
Before launching JetZero, Tom worked at Tesla and aviation startup BETA Technologies.
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