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How Silicon Valley’s “Warlord” Steven Simoni Took AI Weapons From Meme to Military Contracts

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At a film premiere in New York’s East Village, tech entrepreneur Steven Simoni, dressed in a designer Celine tracksuit and wearing a silver chain, laughed as he introduced himself:

“I’m a warlord now, bitch.”

The remark, half-joking and half-serious, summed up Simoni’s latest transformation — from Silicon Valley startup founder to defense-tech provocateur.

Simoni, who once sold his QR-code payment company Bbot to DoorDash for $125 million, is now co-founder of Allen Control Systems, a startup that builds AI-powered autonomous machine guns designed to shoot drones out of the sky. Its flagship product, called the Bullfrog, combines advanced targeting systems with AI algorithms capable of identifying and destroying unmanned aerial vehicles.

“The future is basically Skynet,” Simoni quipped, referencing the self-aware AI from The Terminator. “I want to supply those products to the government so they can use them.”

The 39-year-old Navy veteran has raised $40 million for his new venture — including a round led by Craft Ventures, the firm co-founded by David Sacks, now the Trump administration’s AI czar. Allen Control Systems has also secured prototype testing contracts with the U.S. Army and Special Operations Forces, marking a dramatic pivot from Simoni’s previous life in hospitality tech.

A Silicon Valley Shift Toward War Tech

Simoni is part of a growing movement in Silicon Valley where entrepreneurs and venture capitalists are redirecting their focus from consumer apps to military technology. Inspired by companies like Anduril (founded by Oculus creator Palmer Luckey) and Palantir, this new generation of startups is developing autonomous defense systems, drone swarms, and battlefield AI for the Pentagon.

“I hate war, but war is always going to happen anyway,” Simoni said. “So, someone’s going to make this product at some point.”

He has embraced the “warlord” persona, using it as both satire and branding. His brash approach has earned him appearances on Fox News, invitations to defense summits, and meetings with high-ranking military officials.

During a podcast episode of The Drone Ultimatum, General James Rainey, head of Army Futures Command, said the Pentagon is working to “get fiscal agility to go out to great U.S. tech companies” like Simoni’s and put technology in the hands of warfighters faster.

The U.S. Army confirmed it is in the process of awarding Allen Control Systems a contract to evaluate whether the Bullfrog can integrate with existing Army platforms.

From QR Codes to Combat

Simoni and co-founder Luke Allen met in the U.S. Navy while working on nuclear reactors. After several failed startups, they found success in hospitality tech, creating a QR ordering platform that exploded in popularity during the pandemic. But when Russia invaded Ukraine shortly after selling Bbot, they turned their engineering focus to defense.

Allen began prototyping the Bullfrog in 2023, while Simoni provided funding and eventually took over as CEO. “Every company needs a front man,” Simoni said.

Their product — a turret-mounted AI gun priced around $350,000 — can rotate 400 degrees in under a second. In demos, it has successfully shot drones from the sky, though occasional malfunctions persist. “It’s in its post-adolescent stage,” Simoni joked.

Prototype units bear playful names like Eminem and Bob Ross, and internal circuit boards are printed with caricatures of Simoni and Allen. “If Russia or China recover one of these, they’ll see our faces,” Simoni said. “We’re laughing at them.”

Politics, Parties, and Pentagon Access

Simoni has leveraged both charisma and connections. He has hosted fundraisers for Republican lawmakers and appeared alongside influential figures at Executive Branch, the elite private club founded by Donald Trump Jr., which caters to defense investors and political insiders.

His relationships with venture capitalists like Sacks have also brought him close to the heart of Washington’s defense-tech network. “The generals love me,” Simoni said after attending karaoke nights with military officials.

But not everyone is impressed. Critics within the tech community have mocked his transition from software to AI-powered weaponry. One software engineer publicly rejected his recruitment email with the caption:

“Imagine selling a $125M startup and deciding building AI guns is your life mission.”

Simoni responded by posting a photo of himself wearing a T-shirt printed with her post, grinning. “I don’t have to imagine it,” he wrote.

The Next Arms Dealer?

Allen Control Systems is already expanding its portfolio, developing laser dazzlers to blind drones and an aerial system called Scourge. Simoni plans to take the company public via a SPAC merger as early as 2025, betting that retail investors will embrace a “real-life Terminator company.”

“Whenever I go on Fox News, my inbox is filled with thousands of messages: What’s the ticker?” Simoni said.

Whether Silicon Valley’s new “warlord” becomes the next Palmer Luckey or the next cautionary tale depends on how fast he can turn hype into battlefield-ready hardware.

As one defense anthropologist put it:

“When it comes to weapons systems, failure isn’t just a bad demo — it can be catastrophic.”

US Warns Huawei Can Produce No More Than 200,000 AI Chips in 2025, But China Is Catching Up

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Huawei Technologies will likely produce no more than 200,000 advanced artificial intelligence chips in 2025, according to Jeffrey Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security at the U.S. Commerce Department. While this figure falls short of meeting China’s growing demand, Kessler cautioned that China is rapidly narrowing the technological gap with the United States.

Speaking before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia subcommittee on Thursday, Kessler emphasized that the production limitations do not mean the U.S. can become complacent. “China is investing huge amounts to increase its AI chip production, as well as the capabilities of the chips that it produces. So, it’s critical for us not to have a false sense of security,” he warned.

Since 2019, Washington has implemented a series of export controls restricting Huawei and other Chinese firms’ access to high-end U.S. chips and manufacturing equipment. These curbs aim to slow China’s progress in critical technologies and prevent potential military applications. Despite these hurdles, Huawei plans to supply its domestically produced Ascend 910C AI chips to Chinese customers as an alternative to Nvidia’s more advanced products.

White House AI Czar David Sacks recently stated that China is only 3-6 months behind the U.S. in AI model capabilities. However, he clarified that Chinese AI chip hardware remains about one to two years behind leading U.S. competitors such as Nvidia. Huawei’s CEO Ren Zhengfei also acknowledged the gap, noting that the company’s chips trail behind U.S. products by a generation, though Huawei continues to invest more than $25 billion annually to advance performance.

While Huawei is expanding its AI chip output, U.S. export controls have hampered Nvidia’s ability to maintain its market dominance in China. Recent trade negotiations between the U.S. and China in London resulted in a tentative truce, yet tensions persist, especially after the Trump administration imposed new export controls on semiconductor design software, jet engines for Chinese aircraft, and other critical technologies.

During the congressional hearing, Democratic Representative Greg Meeks raised concerns about the Trump administration’s approach, suggesting it has blurred the lines between export control policy and broader trade issues. Kessler reassured lawmakers that export controls remain robust and effective, while also stressing that the Commerce Department will continue to actively monitor and adjust regulations as the technology landscape evolves.

At present, there are no immediate plans for further restrictions on U.S. semiconductor sales to China, though officials remain vigilant about developments in China’s domestic semiconductor sector.

Trump to Join AI and Energy Summit in Pittsburgh with Tech and Energy Leaders

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U.S. President Donald Trump will attend an artificial intelligence and energy summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 15, according to an announcement from the office of Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Dave McCormick. The inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit will take place at Carnegie Mellon University.

The event is expected to gather top executives from both the tech and energy industries. Axios reported that the guest list includes high-profile tech leaders such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Leading figures from the energy sector such as Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods, Shell CEO Wael Sawan, and Chevron CEO Mike Wirth are also expected to attend.

White House AI czar David Sacks is scheduled to participate as well. Earlier this week, Sacks voiced concerns that excessive regulation of artificial intelligence in the U.S. could hinder industry growth and give China a competitive advantage in the global AI market. His comments suggest that the Trump administration may adopt a more expansionist policy for U.S. AI companies, focusing on boosting international markets for American AI chips and models.

This approach contrasts with that of Democratic former President Joe Biden, who emphasized strict controls to prevent U.S. AI chips from being used to strengthen China’s military capabilities.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of 40 state attorneys general, including Republicans from Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Utah, and Virginia, have pushed back against federal efforts to limit state-level AI regulations. They argue that states should retain the authority to develop and enforce consumer protection rules for AI technologies.

The Pittsburgh summit signals the increasing intersection of AI policy, energy strategy, and international trade considerations in U.S. political and economic debates as AI continues to reshape multiple sectors.