On March 12, Shield AI announced a leadership transition designed to accelerate the company’s next phase of growth. Gary Steele, a seasoned technology executive with over 30 years of experience scaling global technology enterprises, will join Shield AI as CEO on May 13, 2025. Steele will also join Shield AI’s board of directors, bringing a proven track record of driving high-growth companies toward operational scale and market leadership.
After a decade as co-founder and CEO, Ryan Tseng has made the decision to step down from his role and transition into co-founder and president, where he will focus on driving senior level engagement with the US and foreign policy and defense leaders, as well as with aerospace and defense companies. Under Tseng’s leadership, Shield AI has achieved extraordinary growth, expanding to more than 900 teammates, raising over $1 billion in funding, and becoming the fourth multi-billion-dollar defense technology company.
“Among my most important responsibilities has always been ensuring Shield AI is led by the absolute best person for the role. Exceptional leaders prioritize mission, embody honor, are service-driven, intellectually rigorous, tireless in effort, wise in judgment, and introspective,” said Tseng. “Over the past year, with the demand for autonomy solutions at scale and the growth of our aircraft business, it became unmistakably clear that Shield AI required a leader with not only deep software expertise but proven experience scaling technology organizations. Gary Steele is the best leader for the next chapter of our growth. I am committed to the company and mission. I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and working for Gary until we have built a great technology company of this generation — so that we may maximize mission impact and bring people home safely to their families.”
Steele currently serves as president, go-to-market at Cisco, where he oversees sales, partner, and marketing teams driving enterprise growth. Prior to joining Cisco, Steele was CEO of Splunk, where he led the enterprise software firm to profitability and grew revenue by 58 percent before selling the company to Cisco for $28 billion in 2024. He also founded Proofpoint, served as its CEO, and took it from $0 to IPO, eventually achieving an enterprise value of $12 billion.
“There is growing demand for advanced autonomy from defense industry leaders, and we also see an opportunity to expand beyond traditional defense applications to benefit larger commercial enterprises,” said Steele. “I am proud to join this team and help bring this tremendous opportunity to bear, in partnership with Ryan and Brandon.”
Source: Shield AI
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