The Silicon Valley Insider In The Pentagon | DoW Emil Michael
From Grit by Kleiner Perkins
March 23, 2026 · 41 min · Episode 282
About this episode
Emil Michael discusses his transition from Uber to the Pentagon and the collaboration between Silicon Valley and the military.
Emil Michael went from scaling Uber across 600 cities to rewiring the world's largest military. In the midst of the Pentagon-Silicon Valley debate, the now U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering opens up about what a real partnership demands from both sides. He also shares how he's built three new entry points for defense tech companies, and why America's military is called the "Department of War" again. Guest: Emil Michael, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Connect with Emil Michael X LinkedIn Connect with Joubin X LinkedIn Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kpgrit Follow on X: https://x.com/KPGrit Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
People in this episode
Guest: Emil Michael
Topics covered
- defense technology
- Silicon Valley
- military partnerships
- innovation
- government
- research and engineering
Keywords
- Emil Michael
- Pentagon
- Uber
- defense tech
- military
- Silicon Valley
- partnerships
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Uber, Pentagon, Department of War
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