Peter Beck on shotguns, Starlink, and the state of NZ’s entrepreneurs

Peter Beck on shotguns, Starlink, and the state of NZ’s entrepreneurs
“I’ve learned the lesson to never rule out anything, so we decided that from day one we would design this vehicle so it could be certifiable."
Henry Burrell
Peter Beck this week led Rocket Lab, the company he founded in New Zealand in 2006, to a US$4.1 billion market valuation.His analogy for how he got to this point sounds like something from a first-person shooter video game. “I liken running a rocket company to running through the maze at night, and at every dead end there’s a guy with a shotgun,” the chief executive told BusinessDesk on the phone from Rocket Lab’s Auckland headquarters. “If you run down a dead end, you’re going to die, because you c...

More Editor's Picks

New York City fines NZ startup Kiki more than $270,000
Editor's Picks

New York City fines NZ startup Kiki more than $270,000

The short-term lets platform has decamped to London, according to its website.

Greg Hurrell 20 Nov 2025
Richard Taylor is BusinessDesk’s CEO of the year
Editor's Picks Free

Richard Taylor is BusinessDesk’s CEO of the year

Four top business leaders were awarded this evening. 

Staff reporters 18 Nov 2025
Fletcher Residential worth $850m ‘on a good day’
Infrastructure

Fletcher Residential worth $850m ‘on a good day’

Shareholders have been clear no asset sales should be on the cheap.