Trae Stephens, a partner at Founders Fund and co-founder of Anduril, dives into mission-driven technology. He emphasizes the need for engineers to pursue societal benefits and discusses the transformation of defense innovation. Trae explores the importance of lobbyists, debunking myths about their role, and highlights key traits for entrepreneurs, such as disagreeableness. He also shares insights on modern nuclear deterrence and introduces innovative ideas like VR to enhance reading experiences, underscoring the significance of virtue in personal growth.

Trae Stephens, Partner at Founders Fund and co-founder of defense tech company Anduril Industries, shares his unique journey into venture capital. He discusses why competitive deals can be detrimental and emphasizes the importance of avoiding herd mentality in investments. Trae critiques common VC practices, arguing that true success comes from upside maximization rather than downside protection. He also highlights the critical role of innovative strategies and exceptional founding teams in navigating the tech landscape.

Explore the effective comms strategy of Anduril with insights from Lulu Cheng Meservey and Trae Stephens. Learn about the 10 rules that shaped Anduril's success, how to navigate PR challenges, and the importance of building your audience. Discover the secrets behind founder communication strategies and the power of repeating the mission consistently.

This discussion features Avi Schiffmann, founder of Friend.com, who delves into the future of AI companions. Ashlee Vance, a journalist and tech expert, critiques Apple's recent challenges with innovation and Siri. Max Meyer sheds light on the intersection of technology and American culture, while Justin Mares discusses health entrepreneurship hurdles. Shaan Puri shares insights on startup dynamics, and Trae Stephens emphasizes the crucial role of defense tech in societal development, exploring innovation's duality of promise and responsibility.

Trae Stephens, General Partner at Founders Fund and co-founder of Anduril, shares insights into the firm's unique investment culture. He discusses how open debate drives effective decision-making and the value of a concentrated portfolio strategy. Trae emphasizes the importance of empowering founders and fostering honest discussions during pitches. He also explores Founders Fund's unconventional governance model and its focus on transformative investments in sectors like defense technology, highlighting the blend of investment and operational roles.

EPISODE FOUR: In this episode, Mike is joined by Kmele Foster and Trae Stephens. We break down the movie Oppenheimer, the aftermath of dropping nuclear weapons, and the discourse surrounding the film. Featuring Mike Solana , Kmele Foster, Trae Stephens Subscribe to Pirate Wires: https://www.piratewires.com/ Pirate Wires Twitter: https://twitter.com/PirateWires Mike Twitter: https://twitter.com/micsolana Kmele Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmele Trae Twitter: https://twitter.com/traestephens TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro - Welcome Kmele & Trae 1:48 - SPOILER ALERT If You Don't Know The Ending To WWII 2:25 - Christopher Nolan's Past Movies We Liked 3:23 - Review Of Oppenheimer 13:30 - Creating A Doomsday Device To End All Wars 20:13 - Controversy Around The Name Oppenheimer - Accountability For Actions - We're Missing This Today 29:20 - Famous Physicist Who Worked On Manhattan Project 32:45 - McCarthyism 35:32 - Was The Movie Too Pessimistic? 38:00 - No Nuclear Bombs Have Been Dropped After WWII 39:18 - "Thank God For The Atom Bomb" - Why We Needed To Drop The Nuke 55:23 - Preventing Other Countries From Getting Atom Bombs 56:52 - What's More Dangerous? Dropping The Nuke or Not? 59:50 - Depravity For The American Project 1:03:58 - No One Wants War 1:05:00 - Thanks For Joining For This Special Episode! Pirate Wires Podcast Every Friday!

Trae Stephens, General Partner at Founders Fund, discusses the importance of independent thinking and debate culture at the firm. They emphasize their unique approach to deal-making driven by individual conviction. They also talk about the governance structure at Founders Fund and their focus on making highly concentrated bets. Additionally, they discuss the challenges and opportunities of investing in government tech and their approach to hiring new talent.

Trae Stephens, a general partner at Founders Fund and co-founder of Anduril, teams up with Michael Kratsios, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer, to tackle pressing issues in the defense sector. They reveal the shortcomings of the defense industrial base and discuss innovative strategies to maintain competitiveness against China. With a focus on revitalizing American manufacturing and leveraging new technologies, they explore how modern warfare demands a shift in defense spending. The conversation also highlights the challenges of attracting tech talent for public service.

EPISODE NINE: In this episode, Mike is joined by John Coogan and the Founder of Anduril Trae Stephens. We discuss the history of defense companies, how the tech startup Anduril became a player in the defense industry, the shift in opinion working with the government, and what the future of tech defense holds. Featuring Mike Solana , John Coogan, Trae Stephens. Subscribe to Pirate Wires: https://www.piratewires.com/ Topics Discussed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI4l-o4AcHs&t=1s&ab_channel=JohnCoogan Pirate Wires Twitter: https://twitter.com/PirateWires Mike Twitter: https://twitter.com/micsolana John Twitter: https://twitter.com/johncoogan Trae Twitter: https://twitter.com/traestephens TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 0:25 - Welcome John & Trae to the show! Preview of John's documentary on YT - Link in Description 2:55 - History Of Defense Companies 8:35 - What Does The Defense Industry Look Like Today? 12:40 - Competing With The Big Companies As A Startup 21:15 - Talking To Congress 23:20 - Will There Be New Players In The Space? 26:30 - Changes At Founders Fund To Accommodate Anduril 28:30 - Project Maven 37:15 - Tech Industry Has Zero Power In San Francisco 40:15 - The Dream Team Needed To Make Anduril A Success 45:45 - What's Next For Defense Industry? 51:30 - Go Watch John's Documentary on YouTube! And Follow John & Trae On Twitter (X) 51:50 - See You Next Week! Pirate Wires Podcast Every Friday!! #defense #tech #defenseindustry #lockheedmartin #boeing #war #anduril

Trae Stephens, Co-founder of Anduril, discusses the importance of government funding for defense startups. He advocates for investing in a small number of companies with high potential and moving away from bespoke solutions to commercial off-the-shelf solutions. The podcast explores the intersection of Silicon Valley and national defense, government procurement challenges in buying software products, and talent recruitment in the defense industry.