First Contact

First Contact

Why 9/11 Inspired Trae Stephens to Work on the Future of Defense Tech

Trae Stephens is a co-founder of Anduril. It’s a defense tech company valued at around a billion dollars. But what inspires a man to work on technologies that could shape the future of defense — and war — for years to come? Trae tells Laurie Segall it can all be traced back to a single day in his childhood — 9/11. Read an edited transcript … Continue reading Why 9/11 Inspired Trae Stephens to Work on the Future of Defense Tech

Jack Regan
First Contact

"Let's not break into jail": Why Alex Stamos Says Facebook Was Afraid to Create Controversy

Alex Stamos spent three years as Facebook’s chief security officer. He oversaw a counterterrorism team that, he says, prevented multiple terrorist attacks without taking public credit. He also says that this approach to communications may have added to the criticism of the company following the Russian interference scandal in 2016. Read an edited transcript below, or listen to the full interview on the First Contact podcast. … Continue reading "Let's not break into jail": Why Alex Stamos Says Facebook Was Afraid to Create Controversy

Jack Regan
First Contact

What Kept Alex Stamos Up at Night as Facebook’s Security Chief

Alex Stamos spent three years as Facebook’s chief security officer. In addition to information security issues, he also oversaw the company’s Child Safety Investigations team. During that time he had to deal with some of the darkest the Internet has to offer. He tells Laurie Segall how that darkness sometimes followed him home. And how he’s changed since leaving Facebook. Read an edited transcript below, … Continue reading What Kept Alex Stamos Up at Night as Facebook’s Security Chief

Jack Regan
First Contact

Ex-Facebook Security Chief Believes Foreign Spies Are in Every Major US Tech Company

Alex Stamos spent three years as Facebook’s chief security officer, and it was during that time his team discovered Russia’s use of the platform to influence the 2016 presidential election. He knows better than anyone that bad actors are launching constant cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns aimed at the big tech companies. But sometimes, he explains, the attempts to infiltrate Silicon Valley are a bit more … Continue reading Ex-Facebook Security Chief Believes Foreign Spies Are in Every Major US Tech Company

Jack Regan
First Contact

Former CIA Analyst: Facebook is Playing ‘Whack-A-Mole’

Yael Eisenstat spent six months as Facebook’s global head of elections integrity operations. But before that, she spent more than a decade in the CIA. She also served as a national security advisor to Vice President Biden. During her time working for the government, she was frequently in hostile situations. Sometimes she found herself sipping tea across the table from suspected extremists. Her job was … Continue reading Former CIA Analyst: Facebook is Playing ‘Whack-A-Mole’

Jack Regan
First Contact

Yael Eisenstat: There Was No Way I Was Going to Let Facebook Silence My Voice

For a long time, Facebook’s motto was “Move Fast and Break Things.” And although the company has ditched that tagline after years of public scrutiny, one former employee says the company may still be moving too fast. Yael Eisenstat spent more than a decade as an analyst for the CIA. She also served as a national security advisor to Vice President Biden. But one of … Continue reading Yael Eisenstat: There Was No Way I Was Going to Let Facebook Silence My Voice

Jack Regan
First Contact

How Silicon Valley’s Wunderkind Came Out in a Midwest High School

You may know Sam Altman as the entrepreneur who led the Silicon Valley incubator, Y Combinator. Or as the guy who founded OpenAI with Elon Musk. But before his successful career in tech, he was just a high school student navigating the complicated process of coming out in St. Louis in the early 2000s. Read an edited transcript below, or listen to the full interview … Continue reading How Silicon Valley’s Wunderkind Came Out in a Midwest High School

Jack Regan