Before Anduril was a unicorn, it was a black sheep. Today it’s a multi-billion dollar company, an icon of defense tech, and a household name (at least in households with a gun safe or an Eight Sleep). But in the first couple years after the company’s 2017 founding, young progressives were overwhelmingly hostile to the military, making Anduril’s mission anathema to many tech workers, investors, and reporters.

In those early years, I had the privilege of managing Anduril’s communications as an advisor to the founders Palmer Luckey, Trae Stephens, Brian Schimpf, Matt Grimm, and Joe Chen. With their permission, I’m sharing for the first time the details of our campaign to win hearts and minds, so it can serve as a guide for other mission-driven founders.

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