a16z Podcast

a16z Podcast: Government, Startups, & Innovation — A Conversation with U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter

Ashton Carter

Posted April 24, 2015

 

Silicon Valley and the U.S. Department of Defense have had a long history of partnership — including the government funding R&D that was commercialized by major companies and is now used by people everyday. But lately, there’s been a more “commercial” evolution of technology, with both government and startups shifting focus in what they did (and didn’t do) before. Where does this leave innovation around big ideas?

In this segment of the a16z Podcast, we grabbed a few moments with U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to hear his thoughts on these and other questions. Including how startups should partner with the government — one of the biggest IT buyers in the world — as well as what security areas he thinks are important to work on. And: why he hates GPS.

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The a16z Podcast discusses the most important ideas within technology with the people building it. Each episode aims to put listeners ahead of the curve, covering topics like AI, energy, genomics, space, and more.

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