Ukraine Battlefield Tests: Robots That Can Now Open Fire | Ep. 302 | Pt. 2 episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 30, 2026 · 1H 14M

Ukraine Battlefield Tests: Robots That Can Now Open Fire | Ep. 302 | Pt. 2

from Mike Drop · host Mike Ritland

In Part 2, Mike LeBlanc details how a chance call pulled him away from a private equity offer and into Silicon Valley, where he co-founded Cobalt Robotics before launching Foundation Future Industries. He walks through the brutal early days of building a robotics startup, a company crisis over fabricated sales contracts that forced him to overhaul the business, and the pivot into humanoid robots for the Department of War. The conversation turns to real combat testing in Ukraine, the ethical debate inside his own company over weaponizing robots, human-in-the-loop safeguards against battlefield mistakes, and why he believes America—not China—will lead the humanoid robotics race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Ukraine Battlefield Tests: Robots That Can Now Open Fire | Ep. 302 | Pt. 2

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