AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is the latest member to join the Defense Innovation Advisory Board, a Pentagon initiative led by ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt to bring Silicon Valley's top minds to the US military, the Washington Post reported last week.
Alongside Bezos, astrophysicist and "StarTalk Radio" host Neil deGrasse Tyson will also join the board. Amazon declined to comment on Bezos' appointment.
Launched in March 2016, the Defense Innovation Advisory Board boasts a star-studded line up of tech leaders on its 15-man team. Aside from Bezos, Schmidt, and Tyson, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, Google executive Milo Medin, Instagram COO Marne Levine, and Aspen Institute CEO Walter Isaacson are all part of the board, according to the Washington Post.
The Defense Innovation Advisory Board's work has largely been kept under wraps so far. In March, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the goal of the board is to provide advice "on the best and latest practices in innovation that the department can emulate."
That includes new ideas around product development, decision making, and the use of cloud and mobile apps. But the board will not be involved in any of the military operations and strategy discussions, the Pentagon said.
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