Tom Walker and I went through Navy Officer Candidate School together. Nearly thirty years later he runs DroneUp, and we sat down to talk about drones, airspace and decision making. Tom remembers walking into a Best Buy and finding drone technology for under $1,000. He knew then that aerial autonomy would change society.
Crowded airspace
Tom says more than a million drones now fly in US airspace. He expects that number to double by 2027. Near misses and collisions with manned aircraft make the integration problem urgent. Tom wants innovation and safety to move together.
Leading through pivots
Tom spent his military years in submarines. Teamwork, contingency planning and mission focus carried over into how he leads. In the drone industry, a company has to pivot to survive. Tom leans on subject matter experts to understand each stakeholder, and he keeps the outcome as his call.
Who makes the final call
We spend time on autonomy and human oversight. A drone approaches a target and finds a daycare nearby. A delivery drone meets a dog in the yard. Tom and I agree that human judgment stays essential in moments like these. That question runs through commercial and military work alike.
Tom closes on resilience. He thinks a hard hit can be a sign you are on the right path, even before you see how big the change is.
Where in your work should a person keep the final call?
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