A transgender woman who worked as a CIA intelligence briefer describes serving Mike Pence during Trump's first term, then facing potential retaliation when Trump returned to power in 2025 and immediately issued a policy denying recognition of transgender identities.

• The author briefed Vice President Pence nearly daily for a year, building a working relationship with someone whose political career opposed same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ rights, yet Pence treated her professionally and later affirmed her identity.
• Trump's second-term inauguration included an immediate executive order declaring only two genders exist, creating direct professional jeopardy for the author despite her senior intelligence position.
• The author chose to stay in her White House role despite warnings from CIA leadership that she had a target on her back and should resign before the new administration took power.

Anne Neuberger argues that U.S. national security now depends on technology and that allies want to move beyond buyer-seller deals to co-develop AI, cybersecurity, and supply chain solutions. She traces tech’s evolution from Cold War state programs to today’s fragmented, geopoliticized landscape and urges building a shared foundation with partners to counter modern threats.

• Neuberger, former NSA/White House cyber official, just joined a16z as general partner/head of global affairs, signaling tech VC's deepening ties to national security policy
• Allies now want co-development, joint ventures and shared manufacturing with the US instead of just buying American tech products
• Open-source Chinese AI models are spreading globally, pushing Neuberger to argue US-aligned AI must scale internationally to compete
• A16z's delegation met Japan's PM Takaichi and other officials to discuss maritime autonomy, AI, and cybersecurity for Japan's defense modernization—illustrating the shift toward joint tech-security partnerships