I don't know a lot about Gwyneth Paltrow. My co-workers taught me that she runs a wellness empire. My partner, yesterday, informed me that she was in Iron Man. The internet taught me she's been sued for selling wellness products that allegedly lack scientific backing.
But I do know a lot about the American weapons industry, which somehow means I'm now forced to learn about Gwyneth. This week, the actress invited Anduril co-founder Trae Stephens onto her podcast.
At first glance, they make a strange pair: Paltrow’s known for hawking vaginal eggs and antidepressive flower essences; Stephens sells drones. But the Goop podcast is actually the perfect stage for Stephens to do a little reputation management for Anduril, which develops unmanned submarines, border surveillance towers, missiles, and “smart battlefield” technology, with the aim of killing thousands more cheaply than traditional weapons might. Paltrow appeared determined to make weapons-tech legible and even appealing to Goop’s affluent, wellness-focused audience.
I dug into their hourlong conversation, during which Stephens held forth on God, great power conflict, the male loneliness crisis, and what he thinks the pope really meant when he said, “[Jesus] does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.” Check out their apparent attempts to forge bridges between the weapons industry and MAHA.
—Sophie Hurwitz
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