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Ben Horowitz & Marc Andreessen: Why Silicon Valley Turned Against Defense (And How We’re Fixing It)

Shownote

Palmer Luckey got fired from Meta for backing the wrong candidate—now he's the hero saving American defense, and that shift tells you everything about how fast the ground moved beneath Silicon Valley's feet. For decades, tech and defense were allies, then ...

Highlights

Once estranged from government missions, Silicon Valley is undergoing a profound transformation as a new wave of technologists and investors re-engage with defense, energy, and manufacturing. Driven by global crises and geopolitical urgency, the ethos of 'American Dynamism' is reshaping what it means to build in the real world—where innovation meets national resilience.
00:00
American Dynamism means rebuilding the industrial base through tech innovation.
14:27
Palmer Luckey went from being negatively impacted at Meta to becoming a hero in American defense.
33:03
SpaceX's manufacturing legacy is training a generation of hard-tech founders.
43:53
Offensive space technology will be crucial in future warfare and protecting orbital infrastructure.
56:56
Free markets won the Cold War and must lead again today
1:04:05
Central control fails in fast-changing environments; decentralization enables rapid innovation.

Chapters

Why a new fund is betting on America's comeback in defense and industry
00:00
How Silicon Valley went from resisting to embracing national security
11:48
The rise of hard tech: Can startups power the future of energy and space?
24:23
Where the money is flowing: Defense, space, and the new infrastructure race
38:25
Can America out-build its rivals without going back to old industrial models?
46:28
Centralized control vs. decentralized innovation: Which wins modern conflicts?
59:33
What’s next in American dynamism—and who’s building it?
1:07:13

Transcript

Marc Andreessen: The capitalist approach is messy, but you have dynamism on your side. Let's come back to the big picture thing. Is America an aggregate, a force for good in the world? Is it important for the world that America succeed? Is it important tha...