Skydio CEO says tech companies should not ban military drone uses

In short: Skydio CEO Adam Bry says Silicon Valley should not set strict bans on how drones can be used, including by the military.

What happened

Adam Bry, the CEO of Skydio, shared his views in an interview on The Verge’s Decoder podcast. Skydio makes drones that can fly with limited human control, using onboard cameras and software to avoid obstacles and do tasks like inspections.

Bry said Skydio mainly sells to organizations, not everyday consumers. He listed customers such as utility companies, construction firms, transportation departments, police, and the military. He said these groups use drones as “flying sensors,” meaning tools that collect video and other data from the air.

The interview also touched on the US market shift away from Chinese drones. Bry said most low-cost DJI drones disappeared from the US market after government action that blocked foreign-made drones, which left fewer affordable options. He said Skydio has long built drones in the US and now plans to keep doing that, including an announced $3.5 billion investment over five years to expand US manufacturing.

On ethics, Bry argued it is “dangerously misguided” for tech companies to draw hard red lines that stop the US military from using their tools in certain ways. He said democratic oversight should guide those decisions, not company policies from executives far from the battlefield.

Why it matters

Drones are showing up in more places, from power line checks to 911 response. Bry’s comments highlight a growing debate: should private companies act like gatekeepers for military and police technology, or should they sell the tools and leave limits to government rules (like a speed limit set by a city, not the car maker)?

Source: The Verge AI