Ethan Thornton of Mach Industries takes the AI stage at Disrupt 2025

From stealth mode to center stage, Mach Industries is bringing AI into one of the world’s most complex and controversial sectors: defense. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Ethan Thornton, CEO and founder of Mach Industries, steps onto the AI Stage to share what it takes to build in high-stakes environments where speed and autonomy matter most — and why next-gen infrastructure starts with rethinking the fundamentals.

Inside the AI arms race — and the founder aiming to rewrite it

Thornton launched Mach Industries out of MIT in 2023 with a bold…