The Defense Tech Underground

001: Steve Blank - Entrepreneur, Educator, & Prankster

Jun 27, 2024

Steve Blank, an adjunct professor at Stanford and co-founder of the Gordian Knot Center, shares his intriguing journey from fixing electronic warfare equipment in the Vietnam War to pioneering the Hacking for Defense program. He highlights the often-overlooked contributions of elite universities to national security and describes the urgent need for young innovators to serve their country. With humor, he recounts a prank that humorously turned off gravity at Keesler Air Force Base, showcasing the lighter side of military life against a backdrop of serious innovation.

01:16:52

Creator website

Episode guests

Steve Blank

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Steve Blank emphasizes that the current technological advancements in AI and synthetic biology create unprecedented opportunities for young entrepreneurs to innovate and serve their communities.

The historical collaboration between Silicon Valley and the Department of Defense illustrates how military and academic partnerships have shaped technological innovation and national security over decades.

Challenges within the DoD's rigid acquisition processes hinder startups' entry into military contracting, underlining the need for a more agile and collaborative approach to technology integration.

Deep dives

The Exciting Landscape for Entrepreneurs

This era is highlighted as one of the most exhilarating times for entrepreneurs, driven by advancements in AI, machine learning, and synthetic biology, among others. The speaker reflects on their extensive experience in technology and startups, noting how current opportunities are unprecedented and unparalleled compared to previous technological waves like the internet and microprocessors. Young entrepreneurs are encouraged to embrace the moment, as the convergence of various transformative technologies opens doors for innovative ventures. Emphasizing the need to seize these opportunities, the speaker stresses that this is a unique and potentially game-changing period.

Intro

2min

From Vietnam to Silicon Valley: A Journey Through Defense and Innovation

22min

Reviving Cold War Lessons: The Importance of Federal Systems Divisions

2min

Defending Freedom: Lessons from History and Current Challenges

2min

Innovating National Security: Entrepreneurship and Defense

13min

Gravity Defied: A Military Prank

13min

Navigating Innovation in Defense

21min

Steve Blank came to Silicon Valley after serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. Over nearly six decades, he witnessed the advent of the internet, built multiple companies, and developed “the scientific method for entrepreneurship” - the lean startup methodology. Steve then applied all he had learned as an entrepreneur to a new form of service to the country, building the Hacking for Defense program that is now taught at more than 60 universities.

In this episode, Steve covers his Air Force service, fixing electronic warfare equipment on aircraft during the Vietnam War, and then how he emerged on the nascent tech scene in Silicon Valley. He discusses how elite universities like Stanford, Harvard, and MIT contributed to national defense from World War II through the Cold War, and how that history is often forgotten. We also hear, for the first time he has ever discussed publicly, how Steve turned off gravity at Keesler Air Force Base.

Steve also talks about the critical need for young, talented people to find ways to serve their country and their community. Given technological advances in AI, access to space, synthetic biology, and autonomy, Steve argues that “this is the most exciting time ever to be an entrepreneur.”

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Josh Pickering. .

Full bio:

Steve Blank is an adjunct professor at Stanford and a co-founder of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. Steve consults for the National Security establishment on innovation methods, processes, policies, and doctrine.

His book The Four Steps to the Epiphany is credited with launching the Lean Startup movement. He created the curriculum for the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps. At Stanford he co-created the Department of Defense Hacking for Defense and Department of State Hacking for Diplomacy curriculums.

His follow-on book The Startup Owner’s Manual described a process for turning ideas into scale and his Harvard Business Review cover story redefined how large organizations can innovate at speed.