On August 5, Palantir’s CTO Shyam Sankar stood in front of about 20 nervous new employees at the company’s Washington, D.C. office and gave a speech you’d expect at a new hire meeting: company mission, Palantir’s history, etc. But there was one part that would’ve seemed unfathomable a few years ago: Sankar evangelized the importance […]
Y Combinator backs its first defense startup, Ares Industries
Y Combinator’s first defense startup, Ares Industries, launched earlier this week. In a post on the YC website, the startup outlined a vision to build low-cost cruise missiles that will be compatible with existing launch platforms, saying it will “deliver the capabilities that the [Department of Defense] wants in a form factor that’s 10x smaller […]
DeepMind workers sign letter in protest of Google’s defense contracts
At least 200 workers at DeepMind, Google’s AI R&D division, are displeased with Google’s reported defense contracts — and according to Time, they circulated a letter internally back in May to say as much. The letter, dated May 16, says the undersigned are concerned by “Google’s contracts with military organizations,” citing articles about the tech […]
The defense tech acquisition spree has begun: Autonomous factory startup Hadrian acquires Datum Source
Hadrian founder and CEO Chris Power got tired of turning startups away. Since 2020, Power has raised $ 220 million for Hadrian, a largely autonomous factory that mass produces parts for space and defense companies. While Hadrian has produced parts for major defense companies, it had to turn away some defense tech startups because startups […]
Seattle Seahawks defense headlines studs and duds from preseason win over LA Chargers
The Seahawks have just finished the first game on their 2024 preseason schedule, defeating the Chargers on the road by a score of 16-3. We didn’t get to see starting quarterback Geno Smith, star wideout DK Metcalf or the first-string offensive line on the field, and there’s only so much you can learn from a […]