Walking through defense trade shows and engaging in discussions in Washington D.C., I’ve come to realize we're at a pivotal moment.
The brilliant minds behind the 20th century's monumental defense & aerospace inventions—the Space Shuttle, the Internet, and the early work in autonomy—are nearing retirement with no clear succession plan.
I see this as a prime opportunity to elevate the defense sector, rebuild its industrial base, and address the toxic culture left from the consolidation era of the '90s.
To paraphrase Y Combinator’s mantra, our primary responsibility will always be to build capabilities that our defense end users actually want.
Yet, to achieve this, there are essential issues we must tackle:
1. Combat the entrenched wastefulness in government programs, driven mainly by the cost-plus contracting;
2. Build an ecosystem of partnerships that is inclusive, moving beyond the exploitation of subcontractors;
3. Bring high-quality talent, especially software engineers, into the same rooms as military members;
4. Reform procedures that prevent the use of modern software engineering in defense platforms.
I am excited that we are building that future at Picogrid, together with several other upstarts pulling all-nighters in/around El Segundo (Neros Technologies, Hadrian, Rainmaker Technology Corporation, Rangeview...), and groups of engineers and military members obsessed about keeping a high bar on quality all across the country.
Showcasing leaders across North America
2moMike Sommerfield