Grit The Silicon Valley Insider In The Pentagon | DoW Emil Michael
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Mar 23, 2026 
Emil Michael, former Uber executive turned U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, who scaled companies globally and now integrates AI into defense. He discusses integrating AI across the military. He explains new pathways for defense tech startups. He talks about securing critical minerals and reshaping procurement to move faster.
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How Uber Went From Underdog To Public Backlash
- Emil Michael recounts Uber's shift from celebrated startup to public backlash around 2016–17 driven by political context, internal protests, and consumer campaigns like Delete Uber.
- He ties surge pricing, protests at JFK, and employee activism to a half million app deletions as a vivid example.
AI Must Be Embedded Across The Department Of War
- Emil Michael sees AI as a horizontal technology that must be integrated across the Department of War for enterprise productivity, intelligence synthesis, and wartime decision advantage.
- He cites a 3 million person organization with 20-year-old productivity tech and manual intelligence processes as the context driving urgent AI adoption.
Back New Defense Startups To Create A Virtuous Circle
- Do support new defense tech entrants because they bring modern designs, cheaper manufacturability, and up-to-date engineering thinking that the department needs.
- Emil Michael explains success by startups attracts capital, reduces department R&D spend, and creates a virtuous circle fueling more innovation.