Silicon Valley Rediscovers Defense: Rebuilding America Through Innovation

Resources

Books

• "The Social Network" - Mentioned as a defining movie of the 2010s that solidified a particular culture in Silicon Valley, contrasting with the culture of building physical things.

Videos & Documentaries

• "Real Genius" (1985 movie) - Mentioned as an artifact of the post-Vietnam era, illustrating the assumption that working on weapons is inherently evil.
• "The Social Network" - Mentioned as a defining movie of the 2010s that solidified a particular culture in Silicon Valley, contrasting with the culture of building physical things.

Articles & Papers

• "It's Time to Build" - Mark Andreessen's essay, cited as a turning point in discussions about the necessity of physical world infrastructure for Silicon Valley technology.

People Mentioned

• Joseph Stalin - Credited as the creator of the concept of the five-year plan.
• Frank Uterman - Mentioned as a professor at Stanford who encouraged students to spin out companies to support the country.
• William Shockley - Mentioned as a pioneer in developing technologies and encouraging students to build companies to support the country.
• Brian Grazer - Mentioned as the maker of the movie "Real Genius."
• Bob Noyce - Mentioned as a figure from an earlier generation of Silicon Valley who grew up in rural Iowa and likely had connections to military service.
• Garrett Langley - CEO of Flock Safety, mentioned in the context of a fundraising round and acting as a matchmaker for Catherine Boyle and David Ulevitch.
• Elon Musk - His methodology for manufacturing at Tesla and SpaceX is cited as a learning experience for founders in the defense sector.
• Len Kleinrock - His mathematical proof of decentralized networks and packet switching was mentioned.
• J.D. Vance - Mentioned for a speech given at the Munich Security Conference advocating for Europe to increase defense spending.

Organizations & Institutions

• The Pentagon - Referenced as a customer for technology and defense work.
• MIT - Mentioned in relation to the movie "Real Genius."
• Stanford - Referenced for its pioneering role in technology development and its historical connection to defense work.
• Stanford Research Institute - An entity created in the 1970s to house Stanford's military R&D.
• Google (Alphabet) - Mentioned for the "Maven Project" controversy and for later reversing its position on working with the U.S. government.
• The U.S. Government - Generally referenced as a customer and partner in various sectors.
• The Department of Defense - Referenced in the context of procurement processes and defense innovation.
• The House of Representatives - Mentioned in relation to discussions on the NDAA.
• The Senate - Mentioned in relation to discussions on the NDAA.
• NATO - Referenced in the context of European countries increasing defense spending.
• Apple - Mentioned in a past episode about how its manufacturing expertise translated to other industries.
• The Soviet Union - Referenced historically in relation to five-year plans and economic systems.
• China - Discussed as a near-peer adversary with significant production capabilities and a different worldview.
• The U.S. Military - Referenced as deserving support from countrymen.
• The Obama Administration - Mentioned in the context of a former head of border security.
• The Trump Administration - Mentioned in the context of protests against tech companies working with ICE.
• ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) - Mentioned in relation to protests against tech companies working with the agency.
• The European Union - Mentioned in the context of defense spending.
• The United States - The central focus of the discussion on American dynamism, its values, and its global role.

Tools & Software

• AI (Artificial Intelligence) - Mentioned as a key technology driving innovation in various sectors, including defense and energy.
• Robotics - Mentioned as a significant future industry and the "personification of AI in physical form."
• Autonomy - Discussed as a key capability enabled by advanced software.
• Computer Vision - Mentioned as a capability driven by advanced software.
• Drones - Discussed as cheap and effective weapons systems, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine.
• Satellites - Mentioned in relation to space domain awareness and communication.
• Cell phone cameras - Mentioned as a component in Flock Safety's product.
• LTE connections - Mentioned as a component in Flock Safety's product.
• Commodity hardware - Discussed as a foundational element for many American Dynamism companies.
• Nuclear energy - Mentioned as a source of power generation.
• Solar energy - Mentioned as a source of power generation.
• Battery technology - Identified as a critical area for investment and domestic capability.
• Magnets, Motors, Copper, Steel - Identified as critical minerals and components for manufacturing.
• Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) - Discussed as a shift in state-level education policy.
• Waymo - Mentioned as an example of autonomy and self-driving cars already present in San Francisco.

Websites & Online Resources

• a16z.com/disclosures - Provided as a link for more details on investments.
• a16z.substack.com - Provided as a subscription link for the a16z podcast.

Other Resources

• Five-year plans - Discussed as a concept originating from Joseph Stalin and its continued, often ineffective, use in business and government.
• Consumer apps - Contrasted with defense systems in the old model of Silicon Valley.
• Weapon systems - Contrasted with consumer apps in the old model of Silicon Valley.
• Cheap drones - Cited as proof of the changing economics of warfare.
• Tanks - Mentioned as an example of older, potentially vulnerable, military hardware.
• Netscape - Mentioned as a company Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen built in the 90s that supplied technology to the Pentagon.
• Early Internet - Mentioned in the context of Netscape's building phase.
• Industrial base - A key concept discussed throughout the episode, referring to the physical infrastructure that makes a country powerful.
• Energy - Discussed as a critical sector for investment and national interest.
• Manufacturing - Discussed as a sector undergoing transformation and crucial for national security.
• Mining - Identified as a sector ripe for technological innovation.
• Physical infrastructure - A broad category discussed as essential for national power.
• Western values - Discussed as important to be preeminent in the world.
• American values - Discussed as important to be preeminent in the world.
• Soviet communism - Referenced as a historical alternative to Western values.
• Chinese communism - Referenced as a potential future alternative to Western values.
• Men and women in uniform - Referenced as deserving support.
• Public safety - Identified as a significant area for venture investment.
• Aerospace - Discussed as a sector with significant investment opportunities.
• Space manufacturing - Mentioned as a growing area within aerospace.
• Hypersonics - Mentioned as a focus within aerospace.
• Responsive launch - Mentioned as a focus within aerospace.
• Satellite bus - Discussed as a component that can be made more efficiently.
• Payloads - Mentioned in the context of satellite development.
• Ground stations - Identified as a critical but historically neglected part of space infrastructure.
• Low Earth Orbit (LEO) - Discussed in relation to the saturation of payloads and the need for communication infrastructure.
• Cost of launch - Mentioned as having decreased, contributing to LEO saturation.
• Defense tech - The overarching topic of much of the discussion.
• Procurement (government) - Discussed as a system needing reform to better support innovation.
• NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) - Mentioned in the context of procurement reform discussions.
• Research and Development (R&D) - Discussed in relation to defense innovation.
• Primes (defense contractors) - Referenced as legacy companies in the defense sector.
• Hard tech companies - A category of companies that American Dynamism focuses on.
• Downstream capital - Mentioned as becoming more available for hard tech companies.
• Founders - Discussed in the context of leaving established companies to start new ones.
• Manufacturing methodologies - Learned at companies like SpaceX and Anduril, now applied elsewhere.
• Base power - Defined as always-on power, essential for the grid and AI compute.
• Generation, Transmission, Storage (of energy) - Identified as key components of the energy infrastructure.
• Electric vehicles (EVs) - Mentioned as a driver of energy demand.
• AI compute loads - Mentioned as a driver of energy demand.
• Space 1.0 vs. Space 2.0 - A framing used to discuss the evolution of the space industry.
• Vertical integration - The traditional model in space, contrasted with a new approach.
• Satellite bus - A component of satellites that Apex Space focuses on.
• Legacy primes - Older, established companies in the space sector.
• Emerging primes - Newer companies in the space sector.
• Comms (communications) - Needed for satellites and downlinking data.
• Downlink - The process of sending data from a satellite to the ground.
• Golden triangle (customer, product, capital) - Described as being aligned in the defense sector.
• Congress - Mentioned as being engaged on the NDAA.
• Competition (in defense) - Highlighted as a needed element.
• Modern software and Silicon Valley engineering - Needed in the Pentagon.
• Hard tech companies - Companies that American Dynamism invests in.
• Capital requirement (downstream) - The need for later-stage funding for hard tech companies.
• Defense industrial base - The ecosystem of companies and infrastructure supporting defense.
• Manufacturing (of defense systems) - Discussed in relation to rebuilding America's capacity.
• Attritable systems - Systems designed to be expendable, contrasting with "exquisite" systems.
• Swarms of drones - Mentioned as a future battlefield capability.
• Autonomous submersibles - Mentioned as a future battlefield capability.
• Autonomous vehicles - Mentioned as a future battlefield capability.
• War of mass - A concept discussed in relation to future conflicts and the need for mass production of systems.
• Exquisite systems - High-value, complex systems that are vulnerable to cheaper threats.
• Just-in-time manufacturing - Discussed in relation to China's capabilities and the U.S. need to develop them.
• Light manufacturing - Described as the type of industry Mark's childhood home was adjacent to.
• Great offshoring of manufacturing - Discussed as a historical trend driven by policy decisions.
• Robotics and automation - Mentioned as key changes in manufacturing methods.
• Blue-collar plus jobs - Described as the type of higher-skilled jobs in modern manufacturing.
• White-collar jobs - Associated with modern manufacturing plants.
• Electric bikes (e-bikes) - Used as an example of a sophisticated future product.
• Tesla factory - Cited as an example of modern manufacturing in action.
• Democracy vs. Dictatorship - A historical debate with relevance to current geopolitical discussions.
• Free markets vs. State-directed capitalism - A historical debate with relevance to current geopolitical discussions.
• Communism - Discussed as a historical economic system and its perceived advantages and disadvantages.
• Capitalism - Discussed as an economic system with dynamism and creativity.
• Soviet style system - Referenced in contrast to the American system.
• Centralized efficiency - An advantage cited for centralized systems.
• Dynamism, flexibility, creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship - Strengths of the American system.
• Boom bust cycles - A characteristic of free markets.
• Government-run grocery stores - Proposed as an example of a return to centralized control arguments.
• Operation Warp Speed - Cited as an example of capitalism at its best, with government support for private sector vaccine development.
• Vaccines - Developed rapidly during Operation Warp Speed.
• RFP (Request for Proposal) - Discussed in the context of government procurement criteria.
• Past performance - A traditional criterion in RFPs that may hinder startups.
• Centrally controlling everything - Stated as not working well for the U.S.
• Race to get to the moon - An example where government incentives drove the development of the chip industry.
• Minerals (critical) - Identified as an area for investment and national interest.
• Mining - Discussed as a sector with potential for advanced algorithms and talent.
• Construction - Mentioned as a large economic spend center.
• Anduril - An early investment in defense tech.
• Shield AI - An early investment in defense tech.
• Defense 2.0 companies - Newer companies in the defense sector.
• Legacy primes - Existing defense contractors.
• Next-gen engineering - The type of engineering sought by the government.
• Founders (from Version 1.0 companies) - Bringing experience from companies like SpaceX to new ventures.
• Soronic - A company based in Austin, mentioned as an investment.
• Dino (at Soronic) - Mentioned for serving in the Navy SEALs and his background.
• Navy SEALs - Mentioned in relation to a founder's background.
• Private equity - Mentioned as an area of learning for a founder.
• Clearances (government) - Possessed by founders who understand the customer language.
• Robotics - Mentioned as a significant future industry.
• Autonomy and self-driving cars - Seen as the way forward.
• Starlink - Identified as a critical technology used in Ukraine, operating in lower orbit.
• Offensive space capabilities - An area where investment is sought.
• Infrastructure (in lower orbit) - Deemed exceptionally important for future conflicts.
• The war in Ukraine - A major catalyst for discussions on defense and industrial capacity.
• European countries - Mentioned as increasing defense spending.
• GDP (Gross Domestic Product) - Used as a measure for defense spending commitments.
• Allies - Emphasized as important in the current geopolitical era.
• National resilience - A goal for countries seeking to build dynamism.
• Future of manufacturing - A key concern for national interest.
• Market cap - Used to illustrate the growth of tech companies in the global market.
• Regulators - Companies need to interface with them.
• International community - Companies interface with them.
• Team America World Police - A historical characterization of the U.S. role.
• Superpower (economically) - China is described as such.
• Soviet communism - Referenced as a historical system.
• Chinese communism - Referenced as a potential future system.
• Freedom - A value associated with the American way of life.
• Citizen - The definition of being a citizen is discussed.
• Defense industrial base - Mentioned in relation to the need for domestic battery capability.
• Consumer electronics - Mentioned in relation to the need for domestic battery capability.
• Industrial bases (China's) - Noted as having been built up.
• Just-in-time manufacturing - Discussed as a capability China possesses.
• Tritable systems - Systems designed to be expendable.
• Warfare (future) - Contrasted with the war in Ukraine.
• The border (U.S.) - Mentioned in the context of protests against tech companies working with ICE.
• Sex trafficking - Mentioned as an issue related to border security.
• Drugs - Mentioned as an issue related to border security.
• Children - Mentioned in the context of border security issues.
• Networking (field) - Mentioned as a field where decentralized systems faced resistance.
• Decentralized networks - Faced resistance initially.
• Packet switching - A technology in networking that faced resistance.
• The moon (race to the moon) - An example of government incentives driving technological development.
• Xowatt - An energy investment company.
• Radiant Nuclear - An energy investment company focused on nuclear power.
• Base power - Always-on power.
• AI compute loads - A driver of energy demand.
• Electric Vehicles (EVs) - A driver of energy demand.
• Electrification - A trend increasing energy demand.
• Department of War - Mentioned in relation to modernization efforts.
• Energy list (China's unreliable energy list) - Mentioned as a reason for domestic battery capability.
• Magnets, motors, copper, steel - Critical minerals and components.
• Advanced algorithms - Potential application in mining.
• Temperature and pressure - Factors in mining processes.
• Site selection - A part of the mining process.
• Version 1.0 companies - Early companies in the defense tech space.
• Prime (contractor) - Companies competing against legacy incumbents.
• Legacy incumbents - Established companies in the defense sector.
• Department of War - Mentioned as understanding the need for new companies.
• Next gen engineering - The type of engineering brought in by new companies.
• Version 1.0 companies - Companies that paved the way for newer defense tech firms.
• Founders (from Version 1.0 companies) - Bringing experience to new ventures.
• Flock Safety - An investment in public safety technology.
• Soronic - An investment in Austin.
• Dino (at Soronic) - Founder with a background in Navy SEALs.
• Navy SEALs - Mentioned as a background for a founder.
• Private Equity - Mentioned as an area of learning for a founder.
• Customer needs - Deep understanding is crucial for American Dynamism companies.
• Serving (in the military) - A valuable experience for founders.
• Working inside government - Valuable experience for founders.
• Robotics - Mentioned as a key future industry.
• AI personified in physical form - A description of robotics.
• Autonomy and self-driving cars - Seen as the way forward.
• San Francisco - Mentioned in relation to Waymo.
• Legacy categories - Old industries being transformed by new technologies.
• Education - Identified as a key area for investment.
• Odyssey - An early education company.
• State level (education policy) - Noted for changes in education savings accounts.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) - Used as an analogy for Education Savings Accounts.
• Public school system - Parents can opt out of it.
• Home school - An alternative learning method.
• Hybrid method of learning - An alternative learning method.
• COVID-19 - Its impact on alternative learning methods.
• Texas - Mentioned for passing a universal ESA.
• Universal ESA - Allows any parent to opt their child out of public school.
• Cash from the state - Provided through ESA programs.
• Financial rails - What Odyssey is building to track ESA funds.
• Special needs kids - Mentioned in relation to diverse learning needs.
• Different learning capacities - Addressed by alternative education methods.
• One-on-one tutoring - Can support diverse learning needs.
• K-12 education - Expected to see significant changes.
• Offensive space - A key request for startups.
• Future war - Contrasted with the war in Ukraine.
• Space infrastructure (in lower orbit) - Crucial for future conflicts.
• Software side (of offensive space) - An area of interest.
• Hardware side (of offensive space) - An area of interest.
• The next conflict - Expected to be in space.
• US government - Needs offensive space capabilities.
• American Dynamism - The core concept of the podcast.
• International efforts - Discussed in relation to American Dynamism.
• National resilience - A goal in building dynamism.
• Future of manufacturing - A key concern.
• Silicon Valley - Discussed as a model for other countries.
• Software - A key driver of Silicon Valley's transformation.
• Hardware - Discussed in relation to building the physical world.
• Regulators - Companies need to interface with them.
• International community - Companies interface with them.
• Post World War II - The era after which the US became a dominant economic power.
• Japan and Germany - Mentioned as former manufacturing competitors.
• Defense (provision of) - The US provided defense to allies.
• Troops (stationed worldwide) - A result of US global strategy.
• US $38 trillion debt - A current economic reality.
• China - A competitive superpower.
• Allies - Matter a lot in the current geopolitical era.
• Defend our values - A shared mission with allies.
• Way of life - A value to be defended.
• Freedom - A value associated with the American way of life.
• Citizen - The definition of being a citizen is discussed.
• Geopolitics - A key context for American Dynamism.
• War in Ukraine - A major catalyst for discussions on defense and industrial capacity.
• China supplying both sides of the war - Noted as a factor in their industrial base buildup.
• Drone warfare - A significant aspect of the war in Ukraine.
• Russian side - Supplied by China.
• U.S. industrial base - Contrasted with China's buildup.
• Just in time manufacturing - A capability the US needs to develop.
• Chinese parts - Supplied to Ukraine.
• US manufacturing base - Needs investment.
• Old manufacturing jobs - Hope for their return is discussed.
• Advanced manufacturing - An opportunity for the future.
• Decline and fall of Detroit - A personal observation of manufacturing decline.
• Policy issues/decisions - Drove the offshoring of manufacturing.
• Regulatory reforms - Needed to reverse manufacturing offshoring.
• Incentives (corrected) - Needed to reverse manufacturing offshoring.
• Old factories and jobs - Unlikely to return in their previous form.
• Nature of products (changed) - Manufacturing is now focused on more complex items.
• Methods of manufacturing (changed) - Increased use of robotics and automation.
• Jobs (changed) - Shift towards "blue collar plus" and white-collar roles.
• Assembly line (in China) - Described as repetitive work.
• Bicycle manufacturing - Used as an example of a historical manufacturing process.
• Electric bikes (e-bikes) - A sophisticated future product.
• Batteries, computers, chips - Components of e-bikes.
• Advanced capabilities - Expected in future products.
• Self-balancing bike - An example of advanced capability.
• New kind of plant - More sophisticated manufacturing facilities.
• Automation - Key in modern plants.
• Blue collar plus jobs - Higher skill, higher paying jobs.
• White collar jobs - Associated with modern manufacturing.
• Tesla factory - An example of modern manufacturing.
• Futuristic outlook - Recommended for manufacturing strategy.
• Energy prices and natural resources - Factors to be solved for manufacturing.
• Robots - The "great industry of the future."
• AI in mechanical form - Another description of robots.
• Soviet Union - Referenced historically in economic systems.
• Free market capitalism - Contrasted with state-directed production.
• State directed production - A characteristic of Soviet-style systems.
• Centralized efficiency - An advantage of centralized systems.
• Natural resources (directed) - Used in state-directed production.
• Independent action - Characteristic of the American system.
• Individual capitalists - Operate independently in the American system.
• Independent companies/technologists - Operate independently in the American system.
• Broader range of new technologies - Invented in the American system.
• Creative deployment of technologies - Characteristic of the American system.
• Innovation curve - Faster in the American system.
• Inherent creativity of people - Unleashed in the American system.
• Messy approach (of capitalism) - Includes boom/bust cycles, company failures.
• Dynamism - A key advantage of the American system.
• Freedom, exploration, creativity, innovation, free market competition - Elements of dynamism.
• Cold War - A historical period where the debate between systems was prominent.
• Cold War I & II - Mentioned as being won by the US doing things "our way."
• State control, top-down direction, planning - Characteristics of a less dynamic system.
• Procurement process (Department of Defense) - Criticized for being slow and Soviet-style.
• Five-year cycles/plans - Used by the Department of Defense and in business.
• Soviet Union - Originator of the five-year plan concept.
• Mainstreamed into Western society - The idea of five-year plans.
• Iteration cycle (speed of) - Too slow in five-year plans.
• Hand coming out of the grave - Metaphor for outdated ideas hindering progress.
• Battlefield iteration - Rapid adoption of new technology and techniques.
• Russia-Ukraine conflict - An example of rapid battlefield iteration.
• Ukrainian military - Adopts new technology quickly.
• Russian military - Trying to match Ukrainian iteration.
• World War II era mass machinery and mass men - An outdated model for warfare.
• Transwarfare - A modern version of warfare with rapid iteration.
• Flexibility, innovation, creativity, dynamism - Strengths to be applied to the battlefield.
• Culture, history, system (of the US) - Contrasted with the appeal of central control.
• Psychological defect - Attributed to those who always want central control.
• Investing strategy (shorting five-year plans) - A proposed strategy.
• Brain defect (in psychology) - For those unable to visualize decentralized systems.
• Networking field - Where decentralized systems faced resistance.
• Decentralized networks - Faced resistance.
• Control (resistance to) - A reason for opposing decentralized networks.
• The people's republic of berkeley - Ben Horowitz's background.
• Rural iowa - Bob Noyce's background.
• Rural wisconsin - Mark Andreessen's background.
• Camouflage uniforms - Contrasted with other attire.
• Football team - Mentioned in relation to service members.
• Best safest equipment and technology - Soldiers deserve it.
• Moral position - Questioned regarding not selling to the military.
• Paul Graham - Mentioned critiquing Palantir.
• Palantir - Involved in military work.
• Web 2.0 insults - No longer effective.
• Meta - Mentioned in relation to Palmer Luckey.
• Palmer Luckey - Negatively impacted or let go from Meta.
• Hero (for work in saving American defense) - Palmer Luckey's current perception.
• Thinly substantive arguments - Against tech companies working with government.
• Emotional nature (of arguments) - Against tech companies working with government.
• Protest against tech companies working with ICE - Occurred in 2016-2017.
• ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) - Agency involved in protests.
• Culturally advanced, technologically advanced, cool tech companies - Described a company.
• Services used by ICE - Thousands of organizations used their services.
• Outrage - Employee reaction to working with ICE.
• Former director (Obama administration) - Gave a seminar on border security.
• Head of border security (Obama administration) - Gave a seminar.
• Border security - Explained in a seminar.
• Complicated aspects of the border - Explained in a seminar.
• Children, sex trafficking, drugs - Issues related to the border.
• Emotionality (level of) - Had its moment and is now over.
• Back to basics/fundamentals - A return to essential principles.
• Missions - Matter regardless of political mood.
• People, organizations - Matter and deserve support.
• Firm (a16z) - Where Catherine Boyle joined.
• American Dynamism practice - Launched by the firm.
• Up to the right - Describing the success of the practice.
• Fundraising round - Mentioned with a humorous anecdote.
• Investor (excited about round) - Wrote a "crazy email."
• Printing out the term sheet - A peculiar reason for investment.
• Upset people - Hung around the hoop.
• Fly out to Atlanta - Advice for investors.
• Term sheet signed - Goal of investor engagement.
• Hardware - Perceived as hard, capital-intensive, with low margins.
• Returns (hardware investment) - May take a long time.
• Off-the-shelf commodity hardware - Used by many American Dynamism companies.
• Advanced software - Paired with commodity hardware.
• Camera in a box - Description of Flock Safety's product.
• Power to it - Component of Flock Safety's product.
• LTE connection - Component of Flock Safety's product.
• Commodity optics/hardware/parts - Used in early Anduril work.
• Sentry tower - A product from Anduril.
• Computer vision, autonomy - Driven by advanced software.
• Christmas gifting season - Contrasted with government sales cycles.
• Consumer electronics toy - A business model with high risk.
• Hits business - A business model with high risk.
• Product recall - Can destroy a company.
• Energy - A sector of excitement for investment.
• Insatiable thirst for energy/power - A societal trend.
• AI compute loads - Driver of energy demand.
• Base load power - Always-on power.
• Aging electrical grid - Needs power.
• Generation, transmission, storage - Key components of energy infrastructure.
• Electric vehicles - Driver of energy demand.
• Massive ways to create/generate energy - Sought by investors.
• Transposable, transmittable, modular, mobile energy - Desired characteristics.
• Exowatt - An energy investment.
• Radiant Nuclear - An energy investment.
• Sun (as energy source) - Used by Exowatt.
• Nuclear energy - Used by Radiant Nuclear.
• Reliable power systems - The goal of these investments.
• Economic growth - Linked to increased energy use.
• Aerospace - A sector with significant activity.
• Space manufacturing - A focus within aerospace.
• Hypersonics - A focus within aerospace.
• Responsive launch - A focus within aerospace.
• Vertically integrate - The old model in aerospace.
• SpaceX model - Building everything yourself.
• 10 years to get to space - Timeframe for the SpaceX model.
• Apex Space - An early investor in the company.
• Clean sheet design to orbit in 13 months - Apex Space's achievement.
• Satellite bus - Apex Space focuses on this component.
• Cheaper, more efficient satellite bus - Goal of Apex Space.
• Legacy primes (in space) - Companies Apex Space works with.
• New primes (in space) - Companies Apex Space works with.
• Space 2.0 - The new era in space.
• Northwood Space - An investor in ground stations.
• Ground stations - A problem that hasn't been tackled in a long time.
• Low Earth Orbit (LEO) - Saturated by payloads.
• Cost of launch (down) - Contributed to LEO saturation.
• SpaceX - Put 85% of mass into orbit.
• Comms (communications) - Needed for LEO.
• Downlink - Ability to communicate from LEO to ground stations.
• Deconstructing vertical integration - A novel approach in space.
• Unbundling (in space) - Emerging companies focus on parts of the stack.
• Defense - A sector of excitement.
• Customer is desperate and moving very fast - A dynamic in the defense sector.
• Pentagon - The customer.
• Congress - Engaged on the NDAA.
• Procurement reform - Efforts to fix core problems.
• Defense ecosystem - Will be impacted by procurement reform.
• Research and development (in defense) - Will be improved by reforms.
• Primes (legacy defense contractors) - Will benefit from reforms.
• Competition (in defense) - Needed.
• Modern software and Silicon Valley engineering - Needed in the Pentagon.
• Downstream capital - Now more excited to invest in hard tech.
• Messy middle - The phase before companies get contracts.
• Subsidize - Capital can do this for companies.
• Founders leaving Anduril, SpaceX, etc. - Starting new companies.
• Methodology of manufacturing - Learned at SpaceX or Anduril.
• Base Power - An energy company.
• Founder CTO of Base Power - Led manufacturing at Anduril.
• Adjacent sectors - Where founders apply learned methodologies.
• Defense 2.0 - A term for newer defense companies.
• School of Elon Musk - A learning environment for founders.
• Specific use cases - New companies focus on these.
• Contracts (government) - Now being written for new companies.
• Floodgates are opening - Indicating a surge of innovation.
• Apple built China - A previous episode topic.
• Expertise from Apple - Translated to other industries.
• Anduril/SpaceX rebuilding America - Potential legacy of expertise.
• Manufacturing processes (at SpaceX) - Will carry America forward.
• Tens of thousands of engineers - Left SpaceX for other companies.
• Pioneering new ways of building - A contribution of former SpaceX engineers.
• The factory is the product - A concept from Elon Musk.
• Tesla and SpaceX - Companies where Elon Musk pioneered manufacturing.
• Legacy incumbents - Established companies in defense.
• Lobbying arms - Powerful for incumbents.
• Startups (breaking in) - Difficulty for startups against primes.
• Need (in defense) - Has been there for a while.
• Breaking point - When the situation changed.
• Stakes have changed - Geopolitical landscape has shifted.
• China (adversary) - A concern since 2002/2012.
• Procurement process - Hinders fielding and mass production of technologies.
• Near-peer adversaries - A new geopolitical reality.
• Production capability (China) - A concern.
• Exquisite large platforms - Not the platforms for future fights.
• Attritable systems - Needed for future fights.
• Swarms of drones - Future battlefield capability.
• New kinds of autonomous submersibles/vehicles - Future battlefield capability.
• Rebuilding the arsenal of democracy - Anduril's goal.
• Procurement reforms - Being worked on to benefit American companies.
• Product (changed) - Government needs a different product.
• Customer recognizes need - Government is aware of the need for new products.
• War in Ukraine - Highlighted the need for new products.
• Munich Security Conference - Where J.D. Vance gave a speech.
• Europe to step up defense spending - J.D. Vance's call.
• Major countries in Europe - Committed to increasing defense spending.
• Incumbents (in Europe) - Not enough to absorb all the spending.
• Opportunity for US companies - To increase business overseas.
• Nato - Countries waking up to defense needs.
• Western Europe - Changing defense posture.
• Categories (disparate) - Investments are often interrelated.
• National interest - Investments serve this.
• Education - An area of investment.
• Massive portfolio in public safety - Venture investing in this area.
• American dream - Includes living in a safe community.
• Public safety venture investors - a16z is likely the largest.
• Shift left - a16z's investment direction.
• Minerals (critical) - Area of interest.
• Manufacturing - Area of interest.
• Supply chain (criticality) - Area of interest.
• Precursor ingredients - Needed for manufacturing.
• Conflict - Planning for potential conflicts.
• Components - Focus for investment.
• Dumb parts - Needed for a war of mass.
• War of mass - Requires mass production of systems.
• Factory of the future - Companies focused on automating factories.
• Exquisite systems - May be needed in a war of mass.
• Odyssey - An education company.
• Education savings accounts (ESAs) - State-level policy.
• Universal ESA - In Texas.
• K-12 education - Expected to change.
• AI and one-on-one tutoring - Supporting educational initiatives.
• Parents (making decisions) - Empowered by changing education models.
• Children's learning - Parents are best equipped to decide.
• Requests for startups - Entrepreneurs are sought.
• Offensive space - A key request.
• Future war - May not resemble Ukraine.
• Lower orbit infrastructure - Exceptionally important.
• Protecting lower orbit infrastructure - A key need.
• Software side (offensive space) - Area of interest.
• Hardware side (offensive space) - Area of interest.
• War is not going to be about space, it's going to be in space - A key phrase.
• Starlink - Crucial technology in Ukraine, in lower orbit.
• Spacex - Sophisticated company.
• Offensive space capabilities - Needed by the US government.
• American Dynamism in the context of international efforts - Discussed.
• Building American Dynamism in own country - What other nations want.
• National resilience - A goal.
• Future of manufacturing - A concern.
• Market cap of top 10 companies - Shift from 3 to 9 American tech companies.
• Software transformation - Silicon Valley's impact.
• Building the physical world - Key for large-impact companies.
• Interfacing with governments (US and international) - Essential for companies.
• Game plan (for interfacing with regulators/governments) - Needed for company growth.
• Post World War II - US manufacturing dominance.
• Provide defense to everybody - US strategy.
• China (economic superpower) - A major factor in the current era.
• Different idea about the way the world should work - China's perspective.
• Allies matter a lot - Current geopolitical reality.
• Defend themselves - Allies need to do this.
• Work with us to defend our values - Allies' role.
• Way of life - A value to defend.
• Citizen - Definition is discussed.
• Extend dynamism out beyond America to allies - A necessary step.
• Larger market for companies - Benefits economics.
• China (as adversary) - A major concern.
• Production capability (China) - A concern.
• War in Ukraine - Highlighted the need for new products.
• Exquisite large platforms - Not for future fights.
• Attritable systems - Needed for future fights.
• Swarms of drones - Future battlefield capability.
• Autonomous submersibles and other vehicles - Future battlefield capability.
• Rebuilding the arsenal of democracy - Anduril's goal.
• Procurement reforms - Driving these changes.
• Product (changed) - Government needs a different product.
• Customer recognizes need - Government is aware of the need for new products.
• Munich Security Conference - Where J.D. Vance spoke.
• Europe to step up defense spending - J.D. Vance's call.
• Major countries in Europe - Increasing defense spending.
• Incumbents (in Europe) - Not enough to absorb all spending.
• Opportunity for US companies - To increase overseas business.
• Nato - Countries are waking up to defense needs.
• Western Europe - Changing defense posture.
• Categories (disparate) - Investments are often interrelated.
• National interest - Investments serve this.
• Education - An area of investment.
• Massive portfolio in public safety - a16z is a major investor.
• American dream - Includes living in a safe community.
• Public safety venture investors - a16z is likely the largest.
• Shift left - a16z's investment direction.
• Minerals (critical) - Area of interest.
• Manufacturing - Area of interest.
• Supply chain (criticality) - Area of interest.
• Precursor ingredients - Needed for manufacturing.
• Conflict - Planning for potential conflicts.
• Components - Focus for investment.
• Dumb parts - Needed for a war of mass.
• War of mass - Requires mass production of systems.
• Factory of the future - Companies focused on automating factories.
• Exquisite systems - May be needed in a war of mass.
• Odyssey - An education company.
• Education savings accounts (ESAs) - State-level policy.
• Universal ESA - In Texas.
• K-12 education - Expected to change.
• AI and one-on-one tutoring - Supporting educational initiatives.
• Parents (making decisions) - Empowered by changing education models.
• Children's learning - Parents are best equipped to decide.
• Requests for startups - Entrepreneurs are sought.
• Offensive space - A key request.
• Future war - May not resemble Ukraine.
• Lower orbit infrastructure - Exceptionally important.
• Protecting lower orbit infrastructure - A key need.
• Software side (offensive space) - Area of interest.
• Hardware side (offensive space) - Area of interest.
• War is not going to be about space, it's going to be in space - A key phrase.
• Starlink - Crucial technology in Ukraine, in lower orbit.
• Spacex - Sophisticated company.
• Offensive space capabilities - Needed by the US government.
• American Dynamism - The core concept of the podcast.
• International efforts - Discussed in relation to American Dynamism.
• National resilience - A goal.
• Future of manufacturing - A concern.
• Silicon Valley - Discussed as a model for other countries.
• Software - A key driver of Silicon Valley's transformation.
• Hardware - Discussed in relation to building the physical world.
• Regulators - Companies need to interface with them.
• International community - Companies interface with them.
• Post World War II - US manufacturing dominance.
• Provide defense to everybody - US strategy.
• China (economic superpower) - A major factor in the current era.
• Different idea about the way the world should work - China's perspective.
• Allies matter a lot - Current geopolitical reality.
• Defend themselves - Allies need to do this.
• Work with us to defend our values - Allies' role.
• Way of life - A value to defend.
• Citizen - Definition is discussed.
• Extend dynamism out beyond America to allies - A necessary step.
• Larger market for companies - Benefits economics.
• China (as adversary) - A major concern.
• Production capability (China) - A concern.
• War in Ukraine - Highlighted the need for new products.
• Exquisite large platforms - Not for future fights.
• Attritable systems - Needed for future fights.
• Swarms of drones - Future battlefield capability.
• Autonomous submersibles and other vehicles - Future battlefield capability.
• Rebuilding the arsenal of democracy - Anduril's goal.
• Procurement reforms - Driving these changes.
• Product (changed) - Government needs a different product.
• Customer recognizes need - Government is aware of the need for new products.
• Munich Security Conference - Where J.D. Vance spoke.
• Europe to step up defense spending - J.D. Vance's call.
• Major countries in Europe - Increasing defense spending.
• Incumbents (in Europe) - Not enough to absorb all spending.
• Opportunity for US companies - To increase overseas business.
• Nato - Countries are waking up to defense needs.
• Western Europe - Changing defense posture.
• Categories (disparate) - Investments are often interrelated.
• National interest - Investments serve this.
• Education - An area of investment.
• Massive portfolio in public safety - a16z is a major investor.
• American dream - Includes living in a safe community.
• Public safety venture investors - a16z is likely the largest.
• Shift left - a16z's investment direction.
• Minerals (critical) - Area of interest.
• Manufacturing - Area of interest.
• Supply chain (criticality) - Area of interest.
• Precursor ingredients - Needed for manufacturing.
• Conflict - Planning for potential conflicts.
• Components - Focus for investment.
• Dumb parts - Needed for a war of mass.
• War of mass - Requires mass production of systems.
• Factory of the future - Companies focused on automating factories.
• Exquisite systems - May be needed in a war of mass.
• Odyssey - An education company.
• Education savings accounts (ESAs) - State-level policy.
• Universal ESA - In Texas.
• K-12 education - Expected to change.
• AI and one-on-one tutoring - Supporting educational initiatives.
• Parents (making decisions) - Empowered by changing education models.
• Children's learning - Parents are best equipped to decide.
• Requests for startups - Entrepreneurs are sought.
• Offensive space - A key request.
• Future war - May not resemble Ukraine.
• Lower orbit infrastructure - Exceptionally important.
• Protecting lower orbit infrastructure - A key need.
• Software side (offensive space) - Area of interest.
• Hardware side (offensive space) - Area of interest.
• War is not going to be about space, it's going to be in space - A key phrase.
• Starlink - Crucial technology in Ukraine, in lower orbit.
• Spacex - Sophisticated company.
• Offensive space capabilities - Needed by the US government.
• American Dynamism - The core concept of the podcast.
• International efforts - Discussed in relation to American Dynamism.
• National resilience - A goal.
• Future of manufacturing - A concern.
• Silicon Valley - Discussed as a model for other countries.
• Software - A key driver of Silicon Valley's transformation.
• Hardware - Discussed in relation to building the physical world.
• Regulators - Companies need to interface with them.
• International community - Companies interface with them.
• Post World War II - US manufacturing dominance.
• Provide defense to everybody - US strategy.
• China (economic superpower) - A major factor in the current era.
• Different idea about the way the world should work - China's perspective.
• Allies matter a lot - Current geopolitical reality.
• Defend themselves - Allies need to do this.
• Work with us to defend our values - Allies' role.
• Way of life - A value to defend.
• Citizen - Definition is discussed.
• Extend dynamism out beyond America to allies - A necessary step.
• Larger market for companies - Benefits economics.