Hardpoints
Every week, former fighter pilots and current entrepreneurs Neal Rickner & Mike Smith provide unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in startups, energy, and national security.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 83 minutes
- Episodes
- 19
- Years Active
- 2025
Wind, War & Warning Signs
Neal lands a lead investor—unlocking insider commitments and government matching funds—buying his company ~18 months of runway and hard-won momentum. Mike talks small-team turbulence and a parenting …
01:08:27 |
Thu 11 Sep 2025
Troops in DC, Intel Bailout, and Authoritarian Drift
In this episode of Hardpoints, Mike and Neal weave personal stories—like sleepless nights, scout projects, and time outdoors—into heavier discussions on U.S. politics, national security, and the econ…
01:27:37 |
Wed 27 Aug 2025
Burning the World to Distract from Epstein
This week on Hardpoints, Mike returns from an epic, no-internet, log-hopping backpacking trip in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, while Neal hustles through high-stakes fundraising and startup networki…
01:25:00 |
Wed 13 Aug 2025
Thirsting for Leadership, But Drinking the Sand
In this fiery and deeply personal episode of Hard Points, Mike and Neal dive into the illusion of leadership in American politics, kicking off with a sobering analysis of the proposed "Golden Dome" m…
01:18:16 |
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Truth Is Quieter Than You Think
Conspiracy theories thrive where the official story falls flat—when the world feels rigged, unfair, or just off. This episode of Hardpoints meets that unease head-on. We unpack the real forces behind…
01:14:25 |
Wed 23 Jul 2025
Power, Privilege, and the Energy Future
This episode of Hardpoints explores the intersection of power—political, economic, and literal. Mike and Neal dissect how America's priorities are shifting: ICE receives a staggering budget increase …
01:14:58 |
Wed 16 Jul 2025
When The Storm Comes
In Episode 14, Mike Smith and Neal Rickner return from vacation into a week of devastating headlines: a deadly ambush on firefighters in Idaho, catastrophic flooding in Texas, and the passage of a sw…
01:08:19 |
Wed 09 Jul 2025
Modern Conflict: Tech, Climate, Bad Calls
Explore the evolving nature of modern warfare, where strategic missteps, the growing influence of tech giants, and the escalating threat of climate change collide. Through an unflinching look at Sili…
01:24:30 |
Wed 02 Jul 2025
Unserious Country, Serious World
In this episode of *Hardpoints*, Mike and Neal tackle the AI talent wars, Meta’s failed grab at Safe Superintelligence, and the absurdity of their $30B valuations. They critically discuss Elon Musk’s…
01:13:46 |
Wed 25 Jun 2025
Drones, Nuclear Proliferation, & American Dysfunction
Asymmetric threats continue to expand, whether its the use of drones, cybertechnology, climate, espionage, or terrorism. The interaction is quickly leaving America behind, but its our dysfunctional g…
01:24:05 |
Thu 19 Jun 2025
Free speech and online safety - Guest: Michael O'Herlihy
Free speech online is a central debate that has been raging for over a decade, and everyone has a strong opinion. See what someone who has been at the center of it all has been doing about it, from F…
01:50:38 |
Wed 11 Jun 2025
Finding Meaning in Work - Guest: Daniel Kim | Hardpoints
Living a life of meaning can happen anywhere, not just in the military or non-profits, but well into business. Rethink the way you do business and how to lead.
Guest: Daniel Kim is the founder & C…
01:38:56 |
Wed 04 Jun 2025
Predator Innovation & The Age of Machines - Guest: Siggy Zerweckh | Hardpoints
The time of machines has arrived. See how we got here with one of the fathers of autonomous vehicles and AI and how to think about how humans & machines will work together now.
Follow us here: http…
01:48:33 |
Thu 29 May 2025
Surfing, Carbon Collective, & Film Making - Guest: Breene Murphy | Hardpoints
Surfer, CEO, Filmmaker - See how one man decided that his favorite sport and his business acumen led him to rethink how he can live his life.
Guest Breene Murphy is the president of Carbon Collec…
01:22:17 |
Wed 21 May 2025
Microbes, Mines & an Alaskan: A Startup CEO Redefines Mining
The world's economy relies upon that everything you see has either been mined or grown. Learn about the life of an extraordinary Alaskan and her passion for using microbes to address the exploding pr…
01:28:34 |
Wed 14 May 2025
Elite athletes & the veteran transition | Hardpoints
When your job goes away or you experience, we all have to go through a transition. Learn about how elite athletes and veterans share that experience, how it's more than a transition, and what you can…
01:36:18 |
Wed 07 May 2025
Setting up the DoD Energy Clearinghouse
Look at the world through the eyes of a former F-16 pilot and Department of Defense official about the intersection of energy and national security.
Today's guest, Dave Belote, is a retired Air Forc…
01:13:46 |
Wed 30 Apr 2025
Tariffs, national security, and startups - More overlap than you'd think | Hardpoints
Tariffs and how they're created have so many effects on the world we live in, from manufacturing, to national security, to startup ecosystems. Neal & Mike discuss how they overlap and what that means…
01:11:54 |
Wed 23 Apr 2025
Signal is forgotten but we all got the message
There aren't different rules for leaders, just sometimes different results. Think through how being sloppy with security secrets is dangerous to us all.
Plus, learn about how Neal Rickner came to ho…
01:18:55 |
Wed 16 Apr 2025
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