$MRLN - Building the next great American aerospace prime.
Joined April 2013
- Tweets 4,875
- Following 1,296
- Followers 1,612
- Likes 3,548
239 Photos and videos
Matthew George retweeted
Jun 12
Today feels like a good day to reshare this clip of Ariane Aerospace’s CEO calling SpaceX’s reusability plans “a dream”
416
1,206
10,158
1,563,925
Jun 10
No traditionally crewed, fixed-wing aircraft has ever flown autonomously in commercial revenue service. We're targeting New Zealand in 2027.
Our goal is for Merlin to be the first company to do that with real autonomy on real planes flying real routes in revenue-generating operations.
We've been operating a flight test center in Kerikeri since 2022, logging hundreds of autonomous flights with Merlin Pilot, the same system we're certifying with New Zealand's CAA on a concurrent validation pathway with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). We're now approaching the final phases of that certification journey.
Many of the companies attempting to commercialize autonomous flight are using custom-built eVTOL airframes or remote operators. We're doing it the hard way, on fixed-wing aircraft with autonomy in the cockpit, because we believe that's what the future of aviation actually looks like.
11
14
134
12,299
Matthew George retweeted
Jun 8
Any founder dissuaded by an investor saying "Apple/Google will do this" or now "the labs will do this" should also introspect on their level of commitment to the idea.
That said, if you're directly in their tracks, ensure that (1) the market is big enough for more than one company to win in, and (2) your velocity advantage outpaces their distribution advantage.
Jun 8
"What if the model companies do this?" is the new "What if Google does this?" I.e. the meaningless question investors ask that shows either that they're stupid or that they dislike you and are looking for ways to find fault.
24
28
344
48,774
Matthew George retweeted
Jun 5
Ok bad stories about VCs are spreading on X right now, but VCs have horror stories about founders too
Like, that one time when a founder decided to take another term sheet with a higher valuation despite our obvious ability to add value, thought leadership and vendor discounts
69
42
2,039
153,768
Jun 5
Many years ago at my last company, we pitched @pmarca who left the meeting briefly, returned with a gigantic tray of sushi and housed it. We weren't mad, but we were hungry.
cc @stevesi
Jun 2
I was once pitching in a board room at a top 3 VC firm for a $15M Series A.
12 people in the meeting. One of the GPs fully fell asleep. Out cold for 30 minutes. Nobody acknowledged it. Everyone just kept going.
I kept presenting my Series A slides to an unconscious man in a Herman Miller chair and somehow that was considered normal. That's venture capital.
You might fly across the country to perform for people who may or may not be conscious.
It's a dance.
And sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow and sometimes your partner is unconscious.
If you're raising right now, just know: every founder has a story like this. The process is weird. The power dynamic is weird. You're not crazy for thinking it's weird.
No one talks about it because they want to continue raising. But I'm happy to stick my neck out there.
It is weird.
1
12
3,869
Jun 5
Huge news from @AntaresNuclear. While other startups chartered a proverbial jet ("We split an atom!" **but with someone elses fuel and in someone elses reactor), Antares built the entire airplane. The first in 40 years, and a month ahead of schedule. For me, the most impressive thing is that Antares didn't have the most buzz, didn't have the most funding, but they had what was most important - the capacity to do the work. Can't wait to see what's next.
America answers the call. President Trump challenged us to deliver advanced reactors by our 250th anniversary, and today we’re already crossing a historic milestone — the first commercial non-light-water reactor gone critical in the U.S. in more than 40 years.
This is what American ingenuity and determination look like. The nuclear renaissance is here.
2
2
36
5,355
Matthew George retweeted
🎉 WE HAVE CRITICALITY! 🎉
On June 4, 2026, at around 12:30 MDT, @AntaresNuclear’s Mark-0 microreactor achieved initial criticality at @INL.
It is the first nuclear test reactor to go critical under @ENERGY’s Reactor Pilot Program. Congratulations to Antares on reaching this historic milestone!
35
195
1,362
153,061
Matthew George retweeted
May 22
We've been busy. Too busy to show off the Mark-0 reactor. Until now! Check out the 2 month build.
Amazing camaraderie and teamwork throughout.
10
22
143
20,601
Matthew George retweeted
"We have a floor for 466 tankers. We have a number we are supposed to meet this year of 478, which we will do and we are working our way with this [FY27] budget and perhaps future budgets to get to 502. We are on a upslope for the tanker force " General Kenneth S. Wilsbach Chief of Staff of the US Air Force (Apr 30, 2026)
6
29
391
70,052
Apr 23
The Pentagon is seeking $75B for autonomous systems. Most of the market and conversation is focused on new platforms like drones.
But the Air Force still operates thousands of C-130s, KC-135s, and cargo aircraft that will be flying for decades. The question isn't just about new aircraft, it's how to make the existing fleet safer and more capable.
That's what we're building Merlin Pilot for.
The Pentagon’s largest-ever budget request earmarks $75 billion for drones and technologies to counter them, mainly for a massive increase for a little-known office working with US commandos, according to defense officials bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
1
2
28
10,942
Apr 22
Mega. Customer selecting out the real from the hype... way to go @jordanbramble, @juliadewahl, and the @AntaresNuclear team!
Apr 22
Breaking: Department of the Air Force and DIU have selected @AntaresNuclear, @RadiantNuclear, and Westinghouse Government Services to potentially build and operate nuclear microreactors on Air Force installation land. Radiant has been paired with Buckley SFB, Colorado; Westinghouse with Malmstrom AFB, Montana; and Antares with Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
1
3
21
4,046
Antares Nuclear, a startup developing small reactors, won approval from federal regulators to complete its demonstration system — the first company granted such authorization under a US program aimed at accelerating new fission technologies bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
4
23
137
49,630
Mar 31
I've been thinking about how to explain what Merlin is building in terms that connect to where the broader AI conversation is going.
Jensen Huang's Physical AI framework is the clearest map I've seen. Merlin Pilot is a precise match for what he describes - and we believe we're further along in deploying it than anyone else in aviation.
First post is up on the @MerlinAero blog. Worth a read if you follow autonomous systems or AI infrastructure.
1
1
11
750
Matthew George retweeted
Mar 27
Andy Weir announced a new novel with "no details yet"
Brother we already know: regular guy gets stuck somewhere impossible, MacGyvers his way out with real science, makes us laugh while we ugly cry, and we all finish it at 3am on a Tuesday.
Take my money.
89
723
15,264
244,449
Matthew George retweeted
Mar 25
Today is Drone Dominance Industry Day. As vendors gather to hear lessons learned from Gauntlet I, let's take a look back at the vignettes from the first Gauntlet.
Stay tuned for much more on Gauntlet II, coming soon.
Video by @usnda_org.
4
15
128
7,491
Matthew George retweeted
Mar 24
AUTONOMOUS AIR SUPERIORITY 🇺🇸
46
193
1,140
72,990
Mar 23
One (!) controller was handling ground, tower, as well as coordinating with the ramp at one of the busiest airports in the world. The FAA needs to solve the staffing problem, but NACTA, ALPA, and the FAA need to immediately embrace modern tooling like AI to give the controllers the help they need, and the safety that the traveling public must have. This will happen again. There will be more deaths. We need action.
youtube.com/watch?v=Pbm-QJAA…
2
687