Steven Simoni’s journey from Silicon Valley’s tech scene to the heart of the U.S. defense industry reads like a plot twist no one saw coming. Just a few years ago, Simoni was best known for selling his payments startup to DoorDash for a cool $125 million. Fast forward to October 2025, and he’s the co-founder of Allen Control Systems, a company making headlines—and raising eyebrows—with its AI-powered autonomous machine gun, the Bullfrog.
At Allen Control Systems’ headquarters in Austin, Texas, the atmosphere crackles with the energy of a start-up on the rise. Simoni, often seen in designer tracksuits and silver chains, has cultivated a brash “warlord” persona that’s as much a marketing strategy as it is a personal brand. According to Reuters, he once joked at a film premiere, “I’m a warlord now, bitch!”—a far cry from the buttoned-down image of traditional defense contractors.
But this isn’t just about one man’s transformation. Simoni’s pivot is emblematic of a wider shift in Silicon Valley, where entrepreneurs are increasingly turning their talents—and venture capital funding—toward military technology. Inspired by figures like Palmer Luckey of Anduril and Alex Karp of Palantir, a new generation is building everything from drone swarms to spy satellites, autonomous boats, and AI-guided weapons. The motivation? Geopolitical turmoil, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, wars in the Middle East, and rising tensions with China, has created a booming demand for rapid, innovative defense solutions that legacy contractors struggle to deliver.
Simoni’s Bullfrog is a case in point. Priced at $350,000, it’s designed to neutralize cheap drones—an urgent battlefield problem, especially highlighted by the conflict in Ukraine. The autonomous turret can swivel 400 degrees in less than a second, and prototypes—cheekily named Eminem and Bob (after the late painter Bob Ross)—have already undergone field testing. During a September 2025 demo in Austin, the Bullfrog’s M240 machine gun took down a drone in flames, though not without hiccups; the gun jammed, letting other drones escape. Simoni was unfazed, telling Reuters, “It’s in its post-adolescent stage. Almost an adult.”
Allen Control Systems has raised $40 million in funding, including a recent round led by Craft Ventures, co-founded by David Sacks, who also serves as President Donald Trump’s AI czar. The company has landed prototype contracts with both the U.S. Army and Special Operations Forces. The Pentagon, eager for agile partners who can deliver quickly, sees companies like Simoni’s as the future. General James Rainey, commander at Army Futures, joined Simoni on his podcast “The Drone Ultimatum” to discuss this evolving relationship. “It’s really about getting the fiscal agility to go out to the great U.S. tech companies that exist and start buying stuff and get it in the hands of our war fighters,” Rainey said, according to Reuters.
The Army confirmed it’s in the process of awarding a contract to Allen Control Systems before the end of the fiscal year to evaluate whether the Bullfrog can integrate into existing Army platforms. The company’s ambitions don’t stop there; they’re also testing a prototype laser dazzler, designed to damage drone sensors and video feeds, and working on an aerial version of the Bullfrog, called the Scourge. Simoni has even floated the idea of taking the company public via a SPAC, betting that retail investors would flock to an AI-controlled gun company.
Yet, the Silicon Valley approach to defense—marked by hype, rapid prototyping, and self-promotion—raises uncomfortable questions. Simoni’s marketing bravado, from late-night parties with generals to podcasts featuring top military officials, blurs the line between persona and product. “Every company needs a front man,” Simoni told Reuters, embracing comparisons to both the arms dealer from the film War Dogs and even Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos. “It’s so true because Holmes and I are brilliant marketers, we get people’s attention. But (Allen) actually made a real product, and she didn’t have a real product.”
This blending of Silicon Valley’s “fail fast” ethos with the sober responsibilities of arms manufacturing is not without critics. Roberto Gonzalez, an anthropologist at San Jose State University, warned, “Whether you’re talking about a food startup or defense tech, the idea is to get a prototype out there and try to rack up the hype. When it comes to defense and weapons systems, the failure could be catastrophic.”
Indeed, the commercialization of war—where defense becomes just another sector for start-up disruption—raises ethical concerns, particularly with the development of autonomous AI weapons. Accountability for life-and-death decisions becomes blurred when machines, not humans, are making the call. As Simoni himself put it, referencing the fictional AI from the Terminator films, “The future is Skynet, basically. I want to supply those products to the government so they can use them.”
For investors, defense tech has become fashionable, with high-profile backers like David Sacks and Craft Ventures pouring millions into companies like Allen Control Systems. Events where Pentagon officials mingle with venture capitalists are now common, highlighting how national security is increasingly entwined with private capital. But this marriage of financial markets and defense raises concerns: Is the logic of hype, rapid scaling, and short-term profit compatible with the long-term demands of national defense?
The global implications are profound. As the U.S. embraces start-ups like Allen Control Systems, rivals such as Russia and China are also racing to develop AI weapons. The proliferation of cheap, autonomous systems lowers barriers to entry, making it possible for smaller states or even non-state actors to acquire advanced lethal tools. In this sense, Silicon Valley’s new venture frontier could accelerate the very instability it claims to address, as the commercialization of battlefield technologies risks destabilizing the global security balance.
Despite the risks, Simoni’s hustle continues. He’s appeared on Fox News as a drone expert, launched a podcast, and even joined venture firm Forum Ventures to invest in other defense tech companies. His parties at the company’s Austin penthouse attract both start-up founders and government officials. Earlier this year, he hosted a fundraiser for Republican Congressman John Carter, attended by House Armed Services Committee chairman Mike Rogers. “The generals love me,” Simoni quipped, underscoring his knack for networking at the highest levels.
Not everyone in the tech world is on board. When Simoni emailed a prospective software engineer to join Allen Control Systems, she posted a screenshot of his pitch on social media, mocking his choice to build AI-powered guns after a successful tech exit. Simoni, ever the showman, responded with a photo of himself grinning in a T-shirt emblazoned with her post and the words, “I don’t have to imagine it.”
Simoni stepped down as CEO earlier this year, handing the reins to Mike Wior, another veteran of the restaurant tech world, but remains the company’s president and public face. With the Pentagon’s embrace of Silicon Valley “tech bros” and the rise of venture-backed defense start-ups, the line between innovation and militarization grows ever thinner.
As the U.S. military and private capital continue to converge, the story of Steven Simoni and Allen Control Systems offers a glimpse into a future where war is not just fought on the battlefield, but also pitched, branded, and sold—sometimes with a wink and a party invite—in the boardrooms of Austin and Silicon Valley.