In this conversation, Brian Schimpf, Co-founder and CEO of Anduril, a pioneering defense tech firm, dives into the revolutionary impact of AI on warfare. He discusses how AI analyzes vast battlefield data to enhance decision-making and explores the ethical implications of using autonomous systems in military operations. Schimpf also addresses the challenges startups face in navigating U.S. defense procurement processes and advocates for a rethinking of traditional contract models to accelerate innovation in national security.

The podcast delves into the future of defense innovation, highlighting the Defense Innovation Unit's role in accelerating technology adoption. It explores the impact of startups on traditional defense practices, challenges in acquisition and contracting, and the evolving threat environment. The discussion covers the need for procurement reform, success metrics for defense, and the importance of scalability and readiness for modern warfare.

Today’s episode is about how artificial intelligence will change the future of war. First, we have Brian Schimpf, the CEO of Anduril, a military technology company that builds AI programs for the Department of Defense. Next we have the Atlantic author Ross Andersen on how to prevent AI from blowing up the world.If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. You can find us on TikTok at www.tiktok.com/@plainenglish_Host: Derek ThompsonGuests: Brian Schimpf and Ross AndersenProducer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we are running a special episode of Business Breakdowns. With geopolitics playing an increasingly important role in society again, this episode with Anduril’s CEO offers an inside look at the state of the defense industry and how it is changing. If you enjoy this episode, subscribe to Business Breakdowns on your preferred podcast player, where you’ll find past episodes on Block, Goldman Sachs, AutoZone and many others. Today, we are breaking down Anduril. Anduril builds high tech defense systems for the US Department of Defense and its allies. Crucially, it does so with speed that emanates from Silicon Valley. Founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, who previously built and sold Oculus to Facebook, Anduril has achieved the rare feat of challenging the established order in the defense industry. To break down Anduril, I’m joined by the company’s CEO and co-founder, Brian Schimpf. We discuss the history of the defense industry, how Anduril’s business is counter positioned against the legacy cost-plus model, and what Brian has learned about selling to the DoD. Please enjoy this breakdown of Anduril. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus is the new digital hub for market intelligence. The Tegus platform empowers Investors and Corporate Development teams to invest smarter by pairing best-in-class technology with the highest quality user-generated content and data. Find out why a majority of the top firms are using Tegus on a daily basis. If you're ready to go deeper on any company and you appreciate the value of primary research, head to tegus.co/breakdowns for a free trial. ----- This episode is brought to you by Daloopa. Daloopa streamlines a major pain point for investors. By capturing all of a company's KPIs and adjusted financials into their database - Daloopa makes it easy to quickly update your models for what matters. Daloopa uses AI to find every KPI disclosed - from charts, to text, and even from footnotes of investor presentations. Daloopa updates these KPIs and data points in your existing Excel models in one click, regardless of your source or format. Test Daloopa for free at daloopa.com/Patrick. ----- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @JoinColossus | @patrick_oshag | @jspujji | @zbfuss Show Notes[00:02:52] - [First question] - The history of defense technology and the technological and competitive landscape when he set out to build Anduril[00:08:22] - What the early experience was like when approaching the government and finding an early adopter[00:12:44] - Necessity being the mother of invention when it came to developing drones[00:16:37] - What it’s like to develop hardware and software products at the same time [00:24:44] - The state of military technology and military conflict today writ large[00:31:10] - Are we heading to a future where warfare is mostly machine against machine? [00:33:34] - Comparing the ghost drone system to predator drones[00:38:40] - Guiding principles as a firm and deciding on their product roadmap[00:43:25] - An overview of their product lineup and what they’ve built so far [00:51:56] - Most difficult decisions he’s had to make through Anduril’s history [00:53:51] - How he overcame Anduril’s lowest points and biggest challenges [00:58:38] - Thoughts on effectively compounding hardware innovation [01:02:23] - A moment he’s most proud of and regrets most in Anduril’s history[01:04:20] - Lessons learned from observing Palantir and SpaceX [01:08:37] - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him

Brian Schimpf, co-founder and CEO of Anduril, a cutting-edge defense technology firm, speaks with David George about the revolutionary role of AI in modern warfare. They dive into how AI helps strategize military decisions by handling vast battlefield data. Schimpf also navigates the tricky waters of U.S. defense procurement, urges for faster R&D cycles, and highlights the promise of defense startups in transforming military solutions. The discussion reveals the fusion of technology, geopolitics, and the future of warfare.