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James Litinsky

Founder, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer, MP MATERIALS CORP

Search every verified James Litinsky interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. James Litinsky, founder and CEO of MP Materials, appeared on a podcast on June 1, 2025, where he discussed the company's role in the rare earth supply chain and its connection to artificial intelligence. He described rare earth magnets as "the feed stock to physical AI" and stated that "electrified motion requires rare earth magnets." Litinsky noted that the Department of Defense is becoming MP Materials' "largest economic investor" and is providing a price floor for the company's commodity to protect against Chinese competition. He also mentioned a recent $400 million public-private partnership with the DoD and a deal with Apple. In a 2022 talk, Litinsky predicted that within five years, a major household-name OEM would "fail or need a bailout" due to lack of access to a critical material. He also advocated for a "grand bargain" between environmentalists and industry, suggesting that environmentalists should accept the need for domestic mining and loosen permitting, while industry should accept tough environmental standards. Litinsky, a former hedge fund manager, acquired the Mountain Pass mine out of bankruptcy and built MP Materials into what he described as the only U.S. supplier and refiner of rare earth materials and maker of magnets.

Recent appearances

Verified interview transcripts

Notable quotes

“DoD is becoming our largest economic uh investor. Um as well as they're going to provide uh a price floor for our commodity so that the Chinese sort of Chinese mercantalism we can get into that uh won't take the price of the commodity below the cost of production. And then as a result of the DoD investment we're going to accelerate the buildout of the magnetic supply chain.”

“Rare earth magnets are really the feed stock to physical AI. um you know robots, drones, everything we're talking about today, the biggest industry in the world to come. Um essentially electrified motion requires rare earth magnets.”

“This is a huge win for taxpayers because the structure of the deal is such that not only is DoD now economically our largest shareholder, but they have upside participation in both the commodity and in the magnet business.”

“DoD made an investment in MP, they provided us with a long‑term 10‑year price floor contract that allows us to earn a fair return on the commodity, and they provided a 100% offtake for a new magnet facility we're building that will 10x our magnet capacity.”

“We have to recognize that there needs to be a coordinated industrial‑focused strategy to counteract mercantilism; that is the disease, everything else is a symptom.”

“The moment we brought our refining online, the Chinese crashed the prices and they have taken prices to a level where we just don't make money today. So with all the permits in the world, who's going to invest the capital to refine and make the magnets if it's a loss‑making endeavor?”

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