Members of Technical Staff Training with Navy Seals, with Blackbox
Jan 31, 2026
Richard (Blackbox), product and systems lead, and Robert (Blackbox), strategy and ops mind, chat about SEAL-inspired small-team culture and intense morning calisthenics. They describe a 1,200 push-up challenge and training pacing. Then they switch to tech: centralized agent hubs, running agents in remote VMs and sandboxes, and integrations across the development workflow.
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San Francisco Tower Morning
- Jayden and Blackbox recorded from Salesforce Tower with the Bay Bridge and leaning Millennium Tower visible behind them. The hosts joked about San Francisco life, Waymo rides, and getting trapped in traffic on the way to Fitness SF.
Small Teams, Big Impact
- Robert says Blackbox draws inspiration from small, high-impact teams and from the military's small-unit effectiveness. They view Navy SEALs as a model for focused teams that scale impact with minimal headcount.
Working With A Decorated SEAL
- Robert names Joe Kowalink, a decorated SEAL who led Task Unit Bruiser in Ramadi, as a major influence on the team. Blackbox works directly with SEAL officers and actively recruits veterans into the company.