Thank you to the partners who make this possible
Vanta: Automate compliance and simplify security.
WorkOS: The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS.
Brex: The banking solution for startups.
Explore the episode
What happens when you apply Silicon Valley’s speed and innovation to reinvent defense technology? Trae Stephens, co-founder of Anduril, is running that experiment in real-time. His company creates software-driven, hardware-enabled autonomous systems designed to transform national security capabilities amid growing global tensions.
In today's episode, Trae and I dive deep into the ethics of warfare, technology's evolving role in national defense, the complexities of Great Power conflict with China, and how Trae’s personal faith shapes his vision for responsible innovation.
We explore:
An overview of Anduril's mission and platform
A look at the "Four Americas" and why we need a strong military
How Trae uncovered gaps in intelligence that led to Anduril’s founding
The “don’t work at Anduril” campaign and how transparency filters talent
A glimpse at Anduril’s reading list and the case for organizational reading lists
An overview of Lattice, the software behind every platform Anduril builds
Why too much innovation can be a problem
How Anduril took over the IVAX project from Microsoft
Why single domain defense companies won’t win
An overview of Just War Theory, and how it guides Anduril’s mission
How the U.S. is stacking up against China’s intelligence and military
How Anduril’s mission is compatible with Trae’s faith
Lessons from Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and Palmer Luckey
And much more!
Timestamps
(00:00) Intro
(04:33) An overview of Anduril
(05:31) The surprising way Trae got into Georgetown
(11:58) Trae’s work with computational linguistics
(13:37) “The four Americas” and why we need a strong military
(16:05) How Trae uncovered gaps in intelligence and military that prompted Anduril’s founding
(20:49) Why the incentive structure in the defense industry wasn’t working
(23:08) An overview of Anduril’s leadership
(25:53) The first Anduril office and how they approach hiring
(31:13) The Anduril reading list
(34:23) Anduril’s building philosophy, and the software behind all their products
(38:45) How Anduril partners with DOD to understand what to build
(41:21) Why too much innovation is not sellable
(45:29) How Anduril took over the IVAS program from Microsoft
(47:57) The future of weaponry
(51:26) Anduril’s growth strategy: buying and building
(55:02) The single domain companies Trae is excited about
(58:44) How the US stacks up against China
(1:05:20) Trae’s thoughts on conflict resolution and the current administration’s approach
(1:08:14) How Anduril’s work in Europe may change
(1:09:37) Why Trae believes his work aligns with his faith
(1:12:39) An overview of “Just War Theory”
(1:15:38) Lessons from Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and Palmer Luckey
(1:19:05) Final meditations
Follow Trae Stephens
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trae-stephens-485a811/
Resources and episode mentions
Books
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis: https://www.amazon.com/Hillbilly-Elegy-Memoir-Family-Culture/dp/0062300547
The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11: https://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Al-Qaeda-Road-11/dp/1400030846
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre 1st Edition: https://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-Johnstone/dp/0878301178
The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Chain-Defending-America-High-Tech/dp/031653353X
David’s Sling: https://www.amazon.com/Davids-Sling-Marc-Stiegler/dp/0671653695/
Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed: https://www.amazon.com/Skunk-Works-Personal-Memoir-Lockheed/dp/0316743003/
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future: https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296
Bible: https://www.bible.com/
Dune: https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Frank-Herbert/dp/0441172717
Stranger in a Strange Land: https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein/dp/198480278X/
People
Matt Grimm on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mttgrmm/
Ashton B. Carter: https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/article/602689/ashton-b-carter/
Palmer Luckey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/palmer-luckey-21a16959/
Brian Schimpf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bschimpf/
Babak Siavoshy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsiavoshy/
Christian Brose on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-brose-50b026ab/
Matt Steckman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-steckman-4a23a8b0/
Mike Shebat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-shebat/
Alexander Karp: https://www.forbes.com/profile/alexander-karp/
Peter Thiel on X: https://x.com/peterthiel
Other resources
Founders Fund: https://foundersfund.com/
Anduril: https://www.anduril.com/
Lockheed Martin: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/
How America Fractured Into Four Parts: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/07/george-packer-four-americas/619012/
Palantir: https://www.palantir.com/
Oculus (acquired by Meta): https://www.meta.com/quest/
Don’t work at Anduril: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andurilindustries_dont-work-at-anduril-its-just-built-different-activity-7298011098404794370-k9QV/
Traba: https://traba.work/
Trae’s post on X about his reading list at Palantir: https://x.com/traestephens/status/1853928501193449509
Anduril’s Lattice: https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-s-lattice-a-trusted-dual-use-commercial-and-military-platform-for-public-safety-security/
American Vulcan: https://www.tabletmag.com/feature/american-vulcan-palmer-luckey-anduril
Laplace’s demon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace%27s_demon
Palmer Luckey’s post on X about IVAS: https://x.com/PalmerLuckey/status/1889362569049284760
IVAS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Visual_Augmentation_System
Anduril Selected for U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft Program: https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-air-force-collaborative-combat-aircraft-CCA/
Hadrian: https://www.hadrian.co/
Senra Systems: https://www.senrasystems.us/
Dirak: https://us.dirak.com/
An Interactive Look at the U.S.-China Military Scorecard: https://www.rand.org/paf/projects/us-china-scorecard.html
Military production during World War II: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_production_during_World_War_II
Just war theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_war_theory
St. Augustine: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Augustine
'Flying Ginsu': A closer look at the missile that took out a US target: https://www.scrippsnews.com/world/investigating-a-drone-assassination-of-militia-leaders-in-baghdad
Mimetic Theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimetic_theory
Edward Ruscha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Ruscha
Science is Truth Found Out: https://www.artspace.com/ed_ruscha/science-is-truth-found-out
Subscribe to the show
I’d love it if you’d subscribe and share the show. Your support makes all the difference as we try to bring more curious minds into the conversation.
Production and marketing by penname.co. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email jordan@penname.co.
Share this post