Annie Jacobsen

In essence, he's the guy who created the ARPANET, which is now the internet.

And so there's this interesting dual-use technology idea that everything that, at the Pentagon at least, in the defense world, so much of our amazing technology is born out of

you know, trying to save the world from existential threat.

And I always think that dual use part of everything is super interesting.

Look at lasers, you know, lasers are arguably perhaps the most important technological defense born, you know, system of the 20th century.

Laser printers, laser surgery, laser eyes.

And then you have laser weapons at the Pentagon so classified I can't even get anywhere near that.

They're called directed energy weapons.

Yeah.

Well, I mean, I always think conspiracy is born of secrecy, which would make sense if some if someone is constantly telling you you can't know about that.

You're going to naturally wonder what the hell is going on that I really can't know.

What's so secret?

I think that's a good instinct of ours.

And so any time I have been at the Pentagon or wherever asking about directed energy weapons, it's really a –

They'd stop you.

It's a stop.

And so to find out more about that, I tracked down.

This was when I was reporting the Pentagon's brain a decade ago.

I thought to myself, OK, well, if these guys won't talk to me, I'll find out who invented the laser, see if he will.

Go to the smartest guy in the room.