Spoils of war: money flows into defence tech
5/4/202622 min
In Iran, America is using expensive weaponry against cheap local drones. Can upstart tech companies change the economics – and nature — of conflict? As part of our ongoing series on the US at 250, we examine the impact of the two world wars. And should you ever use an emoji at work?
Listen to “Money Talks” on defence tech upstarts.
Guests and host:
- Henry Tricks, US technology editor
- Annie Crabill, a senior digital editor
- Andrew Palmer, host of “Boss Class” podcast
- Rosie Blau, host of “The intelligence”
Topics covered:
- Pentagon, Palantir, SpaceX, Anduril
- America 250, Woodrow Wilson, FDR
- Emojis, aubergines
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
[upbeat music] The Economist.
Rosie Blau· Host0:04
[upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to The Intelligence from The Economist. I'm Rosie Bloor. Today on the show, a chapter in our series on America's history, how war created a superpower. And should you ever use emojis at work? [gentle music] But first. [upbeat music] War has changed. So have the economics of war. Think of all those cheap drones that have proliferated in Ukraine. They're now an established feature of the battlefield. You don't really want to spend a million dollars on a missile if it's going to be taken out by a drone that costs much less. Tech companies in America spy an opportunity. They're now grabbing government defense contracts.
Henry Tricks· Guest1:06
We're seeing the rise of a plethora of tech companies that are offering cheap, nimble, timely delivery of weapons, and it's making the old guard of big military contractors in America nervous.
Rosie Blau· Host1:28
Henry Tricks