The Future of Drone Warfare
About this episode
From the show’s notesWar has always been shaped by technology—from steel and gunpowder to GPS and nuclear weapons. But the decisive technologies of tomorrow aren’t coming—they’re already here.
In this episode, recorded live at our third annual American Dynamism Summit, a16z’s Senior National Security Advisor Matt Cronin sits down with Ryan Tseng (cofounder & CEO, Shield AI) and Adam Bry (cofounder & CEO, Skydio) to discuss the rise of autonomous drones, AI-driven warfare, and the escalating great power competition with China. They cover:
Read the show’s notes in full
Why drones are reshaping the battlefield in Ukraine, Israel, and beyond
The asymmetry of $1,000 drones taking out $10M tanks
Why U.S. drone production lags China—and how to catch up
The ethical and tactical implications of autonomy in combat
What it will take to reindustrialize America and maintain deterrence
If the future of warfare is software-defined, who writes that software—and who deploys it first—matters more than ever.
Resources:
Find Adam on X: x.com/adampbry
Find Ryan on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryantseng
Find Matt on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matt-cronin-8b8…
See more from the American Dynamism Summit: www. a16z.com/american-dynamism-summit
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