Knowingo
The cover of Unit X

Unit X

Raj M. Shah, Christopher Kirchhoff, 2024

A firsthand account of efforts to connect Silicon Valley innovation with U.S. defense and overcome the institutional barriers that slow change.

Get the app Read on the web

8 parts, about 21 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • An insider account of a small Pentagon office built to bring commercial software, drones and satellites to the military
  • Shows why starting from an operator's real problem and a fast contract route matters more than an office near startups
  • Honest about failures, budget cuts and unknown motives, it treats Ukraine as a test case rather than a template

Who it is for

  • Founders weighing whether to sell to defense customers
  • Officials trying to reform slow government procurement
  • Readers following technology competition with China

What the summary covers

  1. A bridge between the military and commercial technology3 min
  2. A new transaction path2 min
  3. Start with the operator's problem2 min
  4. Commercial space and the limits of a promising deal2 min
  5. Proof of concept is not institutional transformation2 min
  6. AI, China, and the national system3 min
  7. Ukraine as a test, not a template2 min
  8. From steel to silicon, with unfinished work5 min

Recommended by

  • Walter IsaacsonNew York Times bestselling author of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk
    Inspiring . . . a riveting reminder of how hard protecting our nation's security can be, and how much depends on the ingenuity of a select few. A must-read.
  • Reid HoffmanCofounder of LinkedIn
    Rouses more curiosity about what happens next than anything I might have binge-watched.
  • Adam GrantOrganizational psychologist and Wharton professor
    Raj Shah and Christopher Kirchhoff show how it's possible to fight for change in institutions designed to sustain the status quo.

About the authors

  • Raj M. ShahFormer head of the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit Experimental; entrepreneur and venture capitalist
    • Holds an AB from Princeton University and an MBA from Wharton
    • CEO and cofounder of Morta Security, acquired by Palo Alto Networks, where he was senior director of strategy
    • Serves as a fighter pilot in the Air National Guard with multiple combat tours
  • Christopher KirchhoffFounder of the Pentagon's Silicon Valley office; former strategic planning director at the National Security Council
    • Two time Gates Cambridge Scholar, MPhil and PhD in Social and Political Science at Cambridge
    • Served as the civilian assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Martin Dempsey
    • Appointed by the Secretary of Defense to create and launch the Pentagon's Silicon Valley Office

More books like this