Today we bring you two absolutely incredible stories. The first is Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works division — the elite team of aviation geniuses who produced some of the greatest airplanes in history: the U-2, the Stealth Fighter, and the incomparable SR-71 Blackbird. The second story is arguably even more important, but not widely known! It's the secret and true origins of Silicon Valley — and Lockheed’s primary role in it. We take you from WWII to the Cold War, all the way to today to unpack and analyze the industry dynamics of defense contractors in the modern era. Tune in and prepare to be blown away by what you’ll learn about the history of our industry!Links:Ben Rich’s Skunk WorksKelly’s 14 Rules of Skunk WorksLMSC’s “Seven Tenets”Steve Blank’s Secret History of Silicon ValleyEpisode sourcesCarve Outs:Nier: AutomataThe Blackbird speed check storyEGO Lawn Tools (just in time for Fathers’ Day!)Sponsors:Anrok: https://bit.ly/anrokacquiredStatsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24Anthropic: https://bit.ly/acqclaudeMore Acquired!:Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodesJoin the SlackSubscribe to ACQ2Merch Store!© Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLCNote: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.
Full Episode
Those two movies are so freaking good. Yeah. It's so shocking how good Maverick is. So many years later in such a different environment and then like delayed due to coronavirus.
Well, The funniest thing is when it was delayed for whatever years during coronavirus, the fighter that Maverick is in is an F-18 Hornet, the Boeing plane. And by the time the movie gets released, it's basically discontinued. Within a couple of years, that's when they end of life the F-18 Hornet for the Navy. Yeah. Did you catch the Lockheed thing in Maverick?
The skunk on the tail of the plane.
Oh, yeah. On the Mach 10 Dark Star aircraft. The Mach 10 Dark Star.
Oh, God.
All right.
Let's do it. All right. Let's do this.
Who got the truth? Is it you? Is it you? Is it you? Who got the truth now? Is it you? Is it you? Is it you? Sit me down. Say it straight. Another story on the way. Who got the truth?
Welcome to Season 12, Episode 5 of Acquired, the podcast about great technology companies and the stories and playbooks behind them. I'm Ben Gilbert.
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