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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.”

Australia Commits $1.1 Billion to Anduril “Ghost Shark” Undersea Drone Fleet

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Australia will invest A$1.7 billion ($1.1 billion) in a fleet of Ghost Shark autonomous undersea vehicles, co-developed with U.S. defense startup Anduril Industries, to strengthen surveillance and long-range strike capabilities, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced Wednesday.

Key Details

  • Purpose: Ghost Sharks will complement Australia’s surface fleet and submarines, offering enhanced intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities.

  • Timeline: First drones to enter service in January 2026.

  • Production: Dozens to be built at Anduril’s Australian facility in New South Wales, with export opportunities for allies.

  • Deployment: Can operate from bases, navy vessels, or be air-transported for forward deployment.

Strategic Context

  • Part of Australia’s efforts to counter China’s growing naval presence in the Indo-Pacific.

  • Complements AUKUS plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S. and UK in the 2030s.

  • Ghost Shark’s autonomous design addresses Australia’s challenge of defending its vast 3 million sq km northern ocean zone with a relatively small population.

Defence & Industry Perspectives

  • Navy Chief Mark Hammond: Ghost Shark enhances operations in the contested and opaque undersea battlespace.

  • Minister Pat Conroy: Highlights long-range strike capacity and export potential.

  • Anduril Industries: Describes the project as AI-powered coastal defense with rapid development achieved in just three years due to shared risk with the Royal Australian Navy.

Budget & Oversight

  • Funded within existing defence budget, despite U.S. President Donald Trump urging higher Australian defense spending under the AUKUS framework.

  • The contract covers delivery, maintenance, and ongoing development over the next five years.

Chinese Military-Linked Institutions Develop AI Model Using Meta’s Llama for Strategic Applications

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Chinese research bodies associated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have adapted Meta’s open-source AI model, Llama, for potential military use, according to several academic papers and expert analysts. A June paper by six Chinese researchers—connected to three institutions, including the PLA’s Academy of Military Science (AMS)—revealed the development of an AI tool named “ChatBIT.” Built on Meta’s Llama 13B model, ChatBIT is tailored for military intelligence gathering and operational decision-making support.

Optimized specifically for dialogue and question-answering within military contexts, ChatBIT reportedly performs better than other AI models, with capabilities about 90% of those of ChatGPT-4. However, the researchers did not specify the exact performance criteria or confirm whether the tool is operational within the military.

This development marks the first confirmed attempt by Chinese military-affiliated researchers to leverage Meta’s open-source models systematically, according to Sunny Cheung, a specialist in China’s dual-use technologies at the Jamestown Foundation. Meta’s open-source strategy, which includes guidelines barring military and nuclear use, limits enforcement options. Meta reiterated this position in response to Reuters inquiries, emphasizing that any PLA use of its models is unauthorized.

While Meta supports open innovation, the use of Llama in military contexts has reignited discussions in the U.S. about potential security risks associated with open-source models. Recently, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to monitor AI developments, balancing innovation benefits with security concerns.

The AMS-affiliated researchers, including Geng Guotong and Li Weiwei, alongside colleagues from Beijing Institute of Technology and Minzu University, suggested ChatBIT could potentially aid in strategic planning, simulation training, and command decision-making as the technology progresses. While Reuters could not confirm the model’s computational scope, the researchers cited a relatively modest dataset of 100,000 military dialogue records, prompting experts like Joelle Pineau of Meta’s AI Research division to question the depth of ChatBIT’s current capabilities.

This development arises as the U.S. finalizes rules to regulate investment in critical AI technologies in China. Pentagon officials have voiced ongoing concerns about the dual-use implications of open-source models, while some observers argue that China’s progress in indigenous AI research makes it challenging to prevent technological advances. William Hannas of Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology notes that extensive collaboration between top Chinese and American AI scientists has bolstered China’s AI goals.

Meanwhile, other PLA-linked studies describe further uses for Llama in fields such as airborne electronic warfare and intelligence policing. In April, PLA Daily emphasized AI’s potential to accelerate weapons development and enhance military training and simulation. These developments reflect China’s national strategy to close the technological gap with the U.S. in AI by 2030, underscoring the ongoing global debate over AI’s role in military advancement.