Michael Sturtz is an internationally acclaimed designer, innovator, educator, sculptor, and founder of The Crucible, the nation’s largest non-profit industrial arts education facility. Determined to take on “impossible challenges,” he has spent a lifetime deconstructing and reinventing transformative approaches to problem solving, ideation, and education. In addition to leading moonshot investigations and pioneering the future of manufacturing at Google X, Michael is a popular speaker and consultant, igniting global revolutions in thought, organizational development, and creative empowerment. In 1999 Michael founded The Crucible, a non-competitive industrial arts school in the San Francisco Bay Area—now the nation’s largest industrial arts facility. The Crucible’s Fire Arts Festivals, Fire Operas, and Fire Ballets defined a new genre of arts in the Bay Area, attracting audiences nationwide. At the Crucible, Michael also built and set a world land speed record with “Die Moto”—the world’s first biodiesel land speed motorcycle. In 2012, Michael began teaching at d.school, a Stanford University institute that promotes design thinking, ideation, and radical collaboration. There, he spearheaded an artistic genre of performance as director of the ReDesigning Theater Project. He also joined TedX Stanford’s stage, encouraging audience members to discover and champion their own creative voice. In 2014, Michael founded Stanford’s Creative Ignition Lab at Autodesk in San Francisco. With the Applied Research & Innovation team, he innovated ways to utilize machine learning within robotic welding. In 2017, Michael accepted an invitation to lead prototyping at Google X. In his second year, he began leading his own moonshot investigations and joined a team pioneering the future of automated manufacturing. His distinction as a force for creative transformation has earned him worldwide recognition. A popular speaker and consultant, Michael continues to bring his inspiring leadership and perspective to audiences far and wide, sparking creativity and transformation around the world.