Misunderstood Power: Emil Michael on the Truth About the DoW & Defense Tech

With great honor, Mr. Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of War for Research & Engineering (USW(R&E)) and Chief Technology Officer for the Department of War (DoW), joins Sourcery in front of a F117 at the Reagan National Defense Forum 2025 to dispel common misconceptions about the DoW, modern defense technology, & the role of companies like Palantir, SpaceX, & Anduril. Drawing on his unique path from hyperscaling Uber into a global technology company to now overseeing the DoW’s research, development, & prototyping enterprise, he breaks down how the system actually works behind the scenes.He also outlines the DoW’s 6 Critical Technology Areas — Applied AI, Scaled Hypersonics, Scaled Directed Energy, Biomanufacturing, Contested Logistics, & Battlefield Information Dominance — and explains how these priorities reflect the realities of modern warfare rather than the myths often portrayed around the sector.Bonus: Newer companies Emil Michael highlights as emerging leaders in defense innovation include Planet Labs for commercial satellite imagery, Neros as a next-generation drone company, Hadrian for AI-driven advanced manufacturing, and a broader group of frontier AI companies now engaging with the Department of War.Emil Michael: https://x.com/emilmichaelMolly O’Shea: ⁠⁠https://x.com/MollySOShea⁠Sourcery: ⁠https://x.com/sourceryvc𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒YouTube: https://youtu.be/6Lfst-RXX9k𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐒• Brex—The modern finance platform, combining the world’s smartest corporate card with integrated expense management, banking, bill pay, & travel. https://brex.com/sourcery• Turing—Turing delivers top-tier talent, data, and tools to help AI labs improve model performance—and enables enterprises to turn those models into powerful, production-ready systems.https://turing.com/sourcery• Carta—Carta connects founders, investors, and limited partners through software purpose-built for private capital. Trusted by 65,000+ companies in 160+ countries, Carta’s platform of software & services lays the groundwork so you can build, invest, and scale with confidence.https://carta.com/data/sourcery/• Public–Investing platform Public just launched Generated Assets, which lets you turn any idea into an investable index with AI. With Generated Assets, you can build, backtest, refine, and invest in any thesis with AI. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all ETFs. https://www.public.com/sourceryFollow Sourcery for the latest updates!https://www.sourcery.vc/DisclosurePaid Endorsement. Brokerage services by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Advisory services by Public Advisors LLC, SEC-registered adviser. Crypto trading provided by Zero Hash LLC, licensed by the NYSDFS. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool by Public Advisors. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. See disclosures at public.com/disclosures/ga. Matched funds must remain in your account for at least 5 years. Match rate and other terms are subject to change at any time.