The Ben & Marc Show Why Silicon Valley Turned Against Defense (And How We’re Fixing It)
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Nov 19, 2025 
Catherine Boyle, a partner at a16z who pioneered the 'American Dynamism' concept, shares her insights on reviving Silicon Valley's ties to defense. She traces the historical friendship and recent tensions between tech and government, highlighting key moments like the Google Maven protests. Catherine discusses the shift in culture that has made defense entrepreneurship appealing, especially after events like Ukraine's conflict. She emphasizes the need for innovative hardware solutions and argues for a dynamic approach to U.S. manufacturing and defense collaboration.
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Return Of Tech-Defense Partnership
- Silicon Valley once had tight integration with U.S. defense that eroded over the last 15–20 years due to cultural and political shifts.
- The current moment is a return to that integration as founders and capital flow back into hardware, defense, and manufacturing.
The Google Maven Turning Point
- Marc recalled the Google Maven episode as a watershed where employees forced Google to drop a Pentagon AI contract.
- That revolt symbolized peak hostility between Silicon Valley and defense in the late 2010s.
Culture Shift Changed Tech's Focus
- Cultural origins shaped the tech talent pool: maker/manufacturing roots differ from Harvard-dorm app culture.
- That cultural shift explains why hardware and production declined then resurged after COVID and other shocks.