Torsten Reil

It allowed us to do the speed thing that I just mentioned, but a couple of other things as well. It allowed us to really focus on top talent very early on. And the second thing that it allowed us to do is to not go for innovation, projects in defense, for incubators and little grants here and there. But because we were quite well-funded, we could go for programs of record.

It allowed us to do the speed thing that I just mentioned, but a couple of other things as well. It allowed us to really focus on top talent very early on. And the second thing that it allowed us to do is to not go for innovation, projects in defense, for incubators and little grants here and there. But because we were quite well-funded, we could go for programs of record.

It allowed us to do the speed thing that I just mentioned, but a couple of other things as well. It allowed us to really focus on top talent very early on. And the second thing that it allowed us to do is to not go for innovation, projects in defense, for incubators and little grants here and there. But because we were quite well-funded, we could go for programs of record.

So the official large programs, which were hard to get and very risky, but we were well-funded enough that we could just take the risk. And that worked out very well.

So the official large programs, which were hard to get and very risky, but we were well-funded enough that we could just take the risk. And that worked out very well.

So the official large programs, which were hard to get and very risky, but we were well-funded enough that we could just take the risk. And that worked out very well.

I'm not sure about that. It does make it easier. I would say Helsing is a company that you can only co-found. You need to have multiple founders.

I'm not sure about that. It does make it easier. I would say Helsing is a company that you can only co-found. You need to have multiple founders.

I'm not sure about that. It does make it easier. I would say Helsing is a company that you can only co-found. You need to have multiple founders.

I think the watershed moment was the annexation of Crimea in 2014 by Putin, and as importantly, the reaction or lack of reaction by European and Western governments in general. And we obviously acknowledged it and took note, but we didn't really understand the threat. And the danger, even back then, that that created was that you essentially allowed someone with territorial ambitions to do more.

I think the watershed moment was the annexation of Crimea in 2014 by Putin, and as importantly, the reaction or lack of reaction by European and Western governments in general. And we obviously acknowledged it and took note, but we didn't really understand the threat. And the danger, even back then, that that created was that you essentially allowed someone with territorial ambitions to do more.

I think the watershed moment was the annexation of Crimea in 2014 by Putin, and as importantly, the reaction or lack of reaction by European and Western governments in general. And we obviously acknowledged it and took note, but we didn't really understand the threat. And the danger, even back then, that that created was that you essentially allowed someone with territorial ambitions to do more.

And it felt like the clock was ticking until that was going to happen. And so when we started Helsing in March 2021, which now feels like a very different time, we actually put in one of our slides that we thought there were going to be two galvanizing events. One of them was going to be an invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the other one an invasion of Taiwan by China.

And it felt like the clock was ticking until that was going to happen. And so when we started Helsing in March 2021, which now feels like a very different time, we actually put in one of our slides that we thought there were going to be two galvanizing events. One of them was going to be an invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the other one an invasion of Taiwan by China.

And it felt like the clock was ticking until that was going to happen. And so when we started Helsing in March 2021, which now feels like a very different time, we actually put in one of our slides that we thought there were going to be two galvanizing events. One of them was going to be an invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the other one an invasion of Taiwan by China.

So we got the Russia-Ukraine invasion right. What we got wrong was the timing, because we thought it was going to happen in 2025. But in the event, it happened 11 months after we put that slide together. Ever since then, we feel like it's, sadly, it is rational to be pessimistic at the moment. And it feels like this hasn't quite fully sunk in across our democratic societies.

So we got the Russia-Ukraine invasion right. What we got wrong was the timing, because we thought it was going to happen in 2025. But in the event, it happened 11 months after we put that slide together. Ever since then, we feel like it's, sadly, it is rational to be pessimistic at the moment. And it feels like this hasn't quite fully sunk in across our democratic societies.

So we got the Russia-Ukraine invasion right. What we got wrong was the timing, because we thought it was going to happen in 2025. But in the event, it happened 11 months after we put that slide together. Ever since then, we feel like it's, sadly, it is rational to be pessimistic at the moment. And it feels like this hasn't quite fully sunk in across our democratic societies.

I struggle to believe we don't understand, Torsten. I think we probably intellectually understood it, but we didn't really want to think through the consequences. Because the consequences were that we needed to start thinking about defence again, about conflict, all the suffering that comes with it, and we didn't want to think about it. We thought it might go away.

I struggle to believe we don't understand, Torsten. I think we probably intellectually understood it, but we didn't really want to think through the consequences. Because the consequences were that we needed to start thinking about defence again, about conflict, all the suffering that comes with it, and we didn't want to think about it. We thought it might go away.