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This post is the latest in the “Secret History Series.” They’ll make much more sense if you watch the video or read some of the earlier posts for context. See the Secret History bibliography for sources and supplemental reading. Silicon Valley emerged from work in World War II led by Stanford professor Fred Terman developing microwave and electronics for Electronic […]
11th Dec 2023

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More from Steve Blank

The Year AI Came For Us: Teaching Entrepreneurship Will Never Be The Same

This post previously appeared in Poets and Quants. 15 years ago, my Lean LaunchPad class changed how entrepreneurship is taught. The class is now taught in hundreds of universities worldwide and helped launch thousands of startups. But this past summer, I got thinking about whether AI killed our Lean LaunchPad class, and with it the […]

a week ago • 3 votes
Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2026 – Lessons Learned Presentations

We just wrapped up our Hacking for Defense class at Stanford. This was the 11th year we’ve taught Hacking for Defense, and the impact of asymmetric warfare, (drones, off-the-shelf technologies, etc.,) disruptive technologies (AI, commercial access to space) and a startup friendly DoW acquisition system – make it feel like a much different class than […]

8th Jun 2026 • 1 votes
Nowhere Is Safe

Drones in Ukraine and in the War with Iran have made the surface of the earth a contested space. The U.S. has discovered that 1) air superiority and missile defense systems (THAAD, Patriot batteries) designed to counter tens or hundreds of aircraft and missiles is insufficient against asymmetric attacks of thousands of drones. And that […]

9th Apr 2026 • 1 votes
Your Startup Is Probably Dead On Arrival

Your Startup Is Probably Dead On Arrival If you started a company more than two years ago, it’s likely that many of your assumptions are no longer true. You need to stop coding, building, recruiting, fund raising, etc., and take stock of what changed around you. Or your company will die. I just had coffee […]

17th Mar 2026 • 1 votes
Making the Wrong Things Go Faster at The Department of War

This article previously appeared in Defense Scoop The Department of War (DoW) senior Acquisition leadership (the people who decide what and how the DoW buys equipment and services) now is headed by people from private capital (venture capital and private equity.)  Deputy Secretary of War Steven Feinberg ran Cerebus Capital Secretary of the Army Daniel […]

3rd Feb 2026 • 1 votes

More in startups

Premium: How Has AI Changed The Economy?

This week, the Wall Street Journal ran an alarming illustration of AI’s potential share of GDP that I’d argue did more to muddy the waters than actually telling anyone anything, mostly because its measurement, for whatever reason, covered 2025 to 2032, meaning that six out of

4 hours ago • 1 votes
Poker.

I didn’t realize being a venture investor would also mean becoming a full-time event planner.

yesterday • 1 votes
Why barcodes are about to go extinct

QR codes are here. Barcodes should be very afraid.

yesterday • 2 votes
An Interview with Jason Del Rey About Muse, Amazon, and Walmart

An interview with Jason Del Rey about Amazon versus Meta, which is a continuation of the oldest battle in retail between Amazon and Walmart.

yesterday • 1 votes
Roundup #89: It isn’t X, it’s Y

AI risk; Reindustrialization; The rent crisis; AI and jobs; Mass deportation; Chinese investment; Cyber risk

yesterday • 1 votes
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