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No Priors Ep. 19 | With Anduril CEO Brian Schimpf

Today on No Priors, we discuss defense technology, AI, drones, and autonomous vehicles (think giant submarine drones!) with Brian Schimpf, the co-founder and CEO of Anduril, a next-generation defense technology company. From his early days of coding at age 12 to working on self-driving cars, and finally founding Anduril, Brian's incredible journey led him to create innovative solutions for pressing defense problems. This episode covers the impact of AI, intelligent software, and other technologies to defense. We discuss the challenges of deploying and selling technology in the government spaceBrian shared his perspective on building general-purpose defense technology, the importance of a software-first approach, and how Anduril is working to solve urgent defense problems with speed and efficiency. As we wrapped up our conversation, we touched on the recent shift in the low cost of space launch, which has changed the way the US thinks about defense. We examined the proliferation of satellites, drones, and hypersonic missiles, and how these technologies can be applied, scaled, and built in a way that can fundamentally shift America's approach to defense. Don't miss this fascinating episode with Brian Schimpf as we uncover the cutting edge of defense technology and its implications for the future. 00:00 - Exploring AI in Defense Tech 05:15 - Lower Cost Defense With Intelligent Software 15:10 - Building General Purpose Defense Technology 20:41 - Autonomy in Defense Challenges 25:05 - Machine Learning in Defense & Intelligence 29:06 - Scaling a Defense Tech Company 37:08 - The Future of Defense Technology 46:53 - Allied Forces and Washington Engagement 51:47 - Discussion on Leadership Popularity

Elad GilhostBrian SchimpfguestSarah Guohost
May 31, 202350mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

AI-Driven Defense: Anduril’s Bid To Reinvent Modern Military Capability

  1. Anduril CEO Brian Schimpf explains how the company is using software-first, AI-enabled systems—like autonomous drones, sensor networks, and large underwater vehicles—to transform defense from a few exquisite, manned platforms into many low-cost, intelligent ones.
  2. He details why modern warfare, illustrated by Ukraine, now favors distributed, autonomous systems and how Anduril’s Lattice platform turns multi-sensor data into battlefield awareness and counter-drone capabilities.
  3. Schimpf discusses practical limits on autonomy (humans remain accountable for lethal decisions), where LLMs and AI fit into defense, and how Anduril rapidly achieved large programs of record within the Pentagon’s slow, complex procurement system.
  4. The conversation closes on strategic gaps in the Pacific, the need to arm allies for deterrence, the tech industry’s renewed engagement with defense after Ukraine, and the importance of clear ethical conviction when building weapons technology.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Software-first, low-cost systems will dominate future defense architectures.

Traditional, manned platforms like carriers and fighter jets are too expensive and vulnerable; militaries increasingly need large numbers of cheaper, autonomous systems orchestrated by powerful software to achieve mass and resilience.

Owning both hardware and software is crucial to selling real capabilities to the DOD.

The Pentagon buys capabilities, not point products—meaning sensors, platforms, networking, autonomy, support, and integration must come as a coherent package, which pushes companies like Anduril to vertically integrate.

Modern battlefields are transparent, favoring dispersed units and autonomy at the edge.

Commercial satellites and pervasive sensing make it hard to hide large formations or fixed infrastructure, pushing warfare toward smaller, distributed units relying on local autonomous systems for sensing and strike.

Defense autonomy must be predictable, bounded, and keep humans accountable for force.

U.S. doctrine will not accept fully autonomous lethal decisions; autonomy is focused on navigation, sensing, mission execution, and decision support—while humans retain responsibility for employing weapons.

LLMs are promising for synthesis and intent translation, but reliability is a barrier.

Large language models can help digest vast text corpora and convert human mission intent into machine-executable plans, yet hallucinations and non-determinism must be tightly controlled, usually with humans in the loop.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

The way defense buys, at the end of the day, is they wanna buy a capability.

— Brian Schimpf

We’re not gonna out-build China. That’s not an option on these large, very expensive platforms.

— Brian Schimpf

The US is not going to adopt systems that have autonomous robots going out and making sort of lethal decisions.

— Brian Schimpf

What seemed to be only doable on a 20-year, multi-billion-dollar investment is now doable in years.

— Brian Schimpf

Leadership and conviction matters. We’ve been clear: we work on weapons. We believe that’s important and we are not shy about that.

— Brian Schimpf

Brian Schimpf’s background at Cornell, DARPA challenges, and PalantirAnduril’s founding thesis: low-cost, high-volume, software-defined defense systemsModern warfare lessons from Ukraine and the shift away from exquisite platformsThe Lattice software platform, sensor fusion, and counter-drone operationsAutonomy principles, human accountability, and applications of LLMs in defenseAnduril’s business model, programs of record, and navigating DOD procurementStrategic priorities: Indo-Pacific deterrence, arming allies, and tech–Washington engagement

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