#38 Raspberry Pi Founder: Britain Has a “Distributed Failure of Will”

Eben Upton, founder and chief executive of Raspberry Pi, joins Felicity Hannah for this episode of Big Boss Interview to discuss the future of British manufacturing, artificial intelligence, engineering and economic growth — while arguing that “they pay you money to mess about” is still one of the best reasons to become an engineer. From taking photos of Larry the cat outside Number 10 to reflecting on how children can “accidentally slide into engineering”, Upton combines deep optimism about Britain’s capabilities with sharp criticism of the country’s inability to sustain long-term economic ambition.

Upton argues that high energy prices are now the single biggest threat to manufacturing in the UK. Raspberry Pi designs its computers in Cambridge, builds them in Bridgend, South Wales, and carries out plastics moulding in Dudley — operations that rely heavily on automated production and energy-intensive manufacturing. Expensive electricity, he says, raises not only factory costs but also wage pressures. The result is that Britain risks “quietly electing to move manufacturing and heavy industry out of your country” without properly accounting for the embedded carbon emissions in imported goods.

The deeper issue, in his view, is political. Upton describes Britain as suffering from a “distributed failure of will” — an inability to sustain long-term decisions across successive governments. He points to the decades-long debate over Heathrow’s third runway and repeated delays to nuclear power projects as examples of a country that struggles to commit to major infrastructure over time. At the same time, he remains deeply optimistic about Britain’s underlying strengths, arguing the UK still possesses extraordinary engineering capability, industrial depth and world-class institutions stretching from Cambridge to South Wales and the West Midlands.

The interview also explores Raspberry Pi’s decision to list on the London Stock Exchange rather than in New York. The company floated in June 2024 at a valuation of £542 million and has since grown to more than £1.3 billion. Upton reveals he initially expected to favour a US listing, but meetings with American investors changed his mind.

Geopolitics also looms large over the semiconductor industry. Raspberry Pi’s chips are manufactured by TSMC in Taiwan, and Upton acknowledges the strategic risk posed by tensions around the island. However, he argues the United States cannot realistically allow access to Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturing to disappear, because advanced chipmaking now underpins not only the global economy but the AI revolution itself.

On artificial intelligence, Upton takes a notably sceptical view of some of the current hype. AI tools are “genuinely incredible”, he says, but there is a growing tendency to overestimate what they can do.

However he has concern is that the current wave of AI enthusiasm risks undermining years of progress in computing education by creating the impression that technical understanding is no longer necessary. Raspberry Pi itself was originally created to reverse collapsing computer science applications at Cambridge University by giving children affordable programmable computers that could encourage them to “accidentally slide into engineering”.

Upton’s message to young people is simple: “do more maths”. Despite the rise of AI, he argues the world will need more engineers, not fewer. He also reflects on the persistence required to build successful companies, revealing that during Raspberry Pi’s early years he repeatedly lost focus and drifted towards other ideas before family members — particularly his wife and co-founder — pushed him back towards the business that would ultimately become one of Britain’s biggest technology success stories.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Olie D'Albertanson Editor: Henry Jones