Marc Andreessen

And the Ukrainians and the Russians both have adapted technology enormously in the last few years to both attack and defend. Of course, there's just incredible use of drones and incredible innovation happening there. And so military planners are watching what's happening on that battlefield very closely.

And the Ukrainians and the Russians both have adapted technology enormously in the last few years to both attack and defend. Of course, there's just incredible use of drones and incredible innovation happening there. And so military planners are watching what's happening on that battlefield very closely.

The entire nature of defense systems is changing in real time in response to watching that play out. The loose concept that we have on that is that wars in the past were won by the side that had the most men and material. So if you had the biggest army and the most weapons you won, probably in the future, wars are won by the people with the most money and the most technology.

The entire nature of defense systems is changing in real time in response to watching that play out. The loose concept that we have on that is that wars in the past were won by the side that had the most men and material. So if you had the biggest army and the most weapons you won, probably in the future, wars are won by the people with the most money and the most technology.

And the reason is because if you've got the most money, you can buy the most technology or develop it. But the future of warfare probably has a lot more to do with machines fighting with each other than people. And there's an obvious social welfare benefit to that, which is you'll have a lot fewer soldiers and sailors and Marines and pilots dying in war.

And the reason is because if you've got the most money, you can buy the most technology or develop it. But the future of warfare probably has a lot more to do with machines fighting with each other than people. And there's an obvious social welfare benefit to that, which is you'll have a lot fewer soldiers and sailors and Marines and pilots dying in war.

But it changes the dynamics, the calculus of what it means to go to war. Maybe the fear would be it makes it easier to go to war because the human cost is lower. maybe countries become bolder and willing to enter military conflicts more aggressively. So there's all kinds of questions and implications there, but this shift is happening. It's going to happen. China has a massive program.

But it changes the dynamics, the calculus of what it means to go to war. Maybe the fear would be it makes it easier to go to war because the human cost is lower. maybe countries become bolder and willing to enter military conflicts more aggressively. So there's all kinds of questions and implications there, but this shift is happening. It's going to happen. China has a massive program.

A lot of what China's focused on in AI is to be able to apply it in military settings. So they have a whole program on that. And then our defense establishment has the same thing and many other countries have the same thing. So That's going to be very dramatic.

A lot of what China's focused on in AI is to be able to apply it in military settings. So they have a whole program on that. And then our defense establishment has the same thing and many other countries have the same thing. So That's going to be very dramatic.

I was talking to a very senior military planner a while ago, and he said, in his view, the weaponized drone that fits in a backpack that you can fly over a hill and can basically destroy a tank, what they call suicide drone. He said, in his view, it's the biggest innovation in defense technology since the stirrup.

I was talking to a very senior military planner a while ago, and he said, in his view, the weaponized drone that fits in a backpack that you can fly over a hill and can basically destroy a tank, what they call suicide drone. He said, in his view, it's the biggest innovation in defense technology since the stirrup.

He said the stirrup was a big deal because the stirrup is the thing that took a soldier who previously had to get off his horse to attack somebody. So the horseman being able to stay on the horse, stand up and be able to fire a bow and arrow. The stirrup was a massive extension of individual lethality on the battlefield.

He said the stirrup was a big deal because the stirrup is the thing that took a soldier who previously had to get off his horse to attack somebody. So the horseman being able to stay on the horse, stand up and be able to fire a bow and arrow. The stirrup was a massive extension of individual lethality on the battlefield.

And he said a squad of well-trained human soldiers with drones, 20 human soldiers with drones should be able to hold off thousands or tens of thousands of regular troops. It's a fundamental change in the economics of attack and defense. It still feels like we're on the front end of trying to process through what that means.

And he said a squad of well-trained human soldiers with drones, 20 human soldiers with drones should be able to hold off thousands or tens of thousands of regular troops. It's a fundamental change in the economics of attack and defense. It still feels like we're on the front end of trying to process through what that means.

I'm still very locked into this book called The Weirdest People in the World, the Joseph Henrich book, which is probably a decade old now, but I think that book never quite gets a lot.

I'm still very locked into this book called The Weirdest People in the World, the Joseph Henrich book, which is probably a decade old now, but I think that book never quite gets a lot.

That book is extremely insightful into the nature of cultures and in the nature, particularly of different cultures, which as we're in this more globalized world with all these geopolitical conflicts, it's a very insightful look into what makes cultures and then in particular, what makes Western cultures.

That book is extremely insightful into the nature of cultures and in the nature, particularly of different cultures, which as we're in this more globalized world with all these geopolitical conflicts, it's a very insightful look into what makes cultures and then in particular, what makes Western cultures.