a16z Podcast The Software Crisis Behind America's Infrastructure
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Apr 30, 2025 
Phillip Buckendorf, CEO of Airspace Intelligence, and Leonard J. Kosinski, retired Lieutenant General and Chief Strategy Officer at ASI, dive into the software crisis plaguing America's critical infrastructure. They discuss how outdated systems jeopardize safety and efficiency in air traffic and logistics, and why modernizing software is essential. The duo explores the dual-use tech that can bolster both civilian and military frameworks and warns of increasing vulnerabilities without urgent updates, all while emphasizing collaboration between sectors.
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Phillip Buckendorf's Career Journey
- Phillip Buckendorf shares his journey fleeing Germany's stagnant economy to embrace Silicon Valley's tech ecosystem.
- He highlights how the U.S. offered the right ecosystem and energy that enabled his success and family life.
Interconnected Aviation Challenges
- Aviation's safety is undermined by staffing shortages and legacy software.
- Staffing, infrastructure, and software are interconnected problems that must be tackled holistically to enable modernization.
Legacy Software Holds Back Modernization
- Legacy software systems are deeply tied to outdated compute power, making modernization hard across widespread facilities.
- Traditional long development cycles with heavy documentation hinder keeping software current and attracting top engineers.
