The Lawfare Podcast Lawfare Daily: The Defense Tech Paradox, with Susannah Glickman
Dec 10, 2025
Susannah Glickman, an assistant professor at Stony Brook University, dives deep into the intriguing intersection of defense tech and industrial policy. She discusses how Silicon Valley's tech firms are reshaping the Republican agenda and critiques their short-term profit focus. Glickman also highlights the paradox of these companies demanding industrial policy while undermining its foundations. Additionally, she examines the impact of venture capital on defense startups and the implications of Silicon Valley culture infiltrating the Pentagon under the Trump administration.
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The Defense Tech Paradox
- Defense-tech firms now publicly demand industrial policy while undermining the conditions that make it possible.
- Susannah Glickman argues this paradox hides a shift from soliciting state support to privatizing long-term public infrastructure.
Defense Tech's Institutional Origins
- New defense-tech firms emerged from CIA and Pentagon venture experiments and Silicon Valley startup culture.
- Glickman links firms like Palantir to institutional VC-like support that sustained them until lucrative government contracts arrived.
Finance Models Undercut Long-Term Capacity
- Venture capital and private equity impose short-term payout horizons that clash with long-term industrial needs.
- Glickman explains VC seeks quick exits while PE cuts long-term resilience to improve short-term balance sheets.
