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Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- May 30, 2023
- Duration
- 3h 38m
- Channel
- Acquired
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Today we bring you two absolutely incredible stories. The first is Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works division — the elite team of aviation geniuses who produced some of the greatest airplanes in history: the U-2, the Stealth Fighter, and the incomparable SR-71 Blackbird. The second story is arguably even more important, but not widely known! It's the secret and true origins of Silicon Valley — and Lockheed’s primary role in it. We take you from WWII to the Cold War, all the way to today to unpack and analyze the industry dynamics of defense contractors in the modern era. Tune in and prepare to be blown away by what you’ll learn about the history of our industry! *Links:*
- Ben Rich’s Skunk Works: https://www.amazon.com/Skunk-Works-Personal-Memoir-Lockheed/dp/0316743003
- Kelly’s 14 Rules of Skunk Works: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed-martin/aero/photo/skunkworks/kellys-14-rules.pdf
- LMSC’s “Seven Tenets”: https://youtu.be/E09qg-Kxm_M?t=8671
- Steve Blank’s Secret History of Silicon Valley: https://steveblank.com/secret-history/
- Episode sources: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/lockheed-martin#sources
*Carve Outs:*
- Nier: Automata: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nier:_Automata
- The Blackbird speed check story: https://www.thesr71blackbird.com/Aircraft/Stories/sr-71-blackbird-speed-check-story
- EGO Lawn Tools (just in time for Fathers’ Day!): https://egopowerplus.com/power-blowers/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjryjBhD0ARIsAMLvnF_te03nXGYJnmGkklzqFMCy5MUSn6tmCzHz1Zj0rup-s2UtUAlESv4aAmjEEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
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_Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions._
SPEAKERS
David Rosenthal
hostBen Gilbert
host
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Acquired, featuring David Rosenthal and Ben Gilbert, Lockheed Martin (Audio) explores Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, spy tech, and Silicon Valley’s origins The episode traces Lockheed’s early aviation roots, then focuses on two “golden era” narratives: Skunk Works’ rapid, secretive engineering breakthroughs and Lockheed’s Missile/Space division’s outsized influence on Cold War strategy and Silicon Valley’s emergence.
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