Summary
Mike, a former Marine Corps member who transitioned to the Air Force, shares his journey of founding a newsletter and podcast focused on national security and defense technology. His military background includes roles as an aviation maintenance technician and a door gunner, followed by a career as a weapons systems officer. After experiencing a creative outlet in writing during his military service, he launched a newsletter in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to fill a gap in defense-related business insights that he felt were lacking in existing media.
The newsletter, which began with a small audience of fellow fighter pilots, has since evolved into a comprehensive resource for those interested in the intersection of technology, policy, and strategy in the defense sector. Mike emphasizes the importance of providing timely and relevant information to a diverse audience, including active military personnel, veterans, and industry professionals. His editorial approach is shaped by feedback from readers, which has helped refine the content and format over time.
In addition to the newsletter, Mike has recently introduced "Merge Premium," a deeper dive into specific topics within the defense industry, catering to professionals seeking more in-depth analysis. He reflects on the growth of his platform and the community that has formed around it, expressing gratitude for the support and engagement from his audience. As he prepares to celebrate the sixth anniversary of his newsletter, Mike remains committed to fostering discussions about national security and sharing valuable insights with his readers.
Show Notes
It started with an email to 300 fighter pilots.
Joey Arora turns the tables on Mike "Pako" Benitez to get the full origin story of The Merge.
Mike spent 25 years on active duty between the Marine Corps and Air Force, flew the F-15E Strike Eagle, and graduated from the Air Force Weapons School. During COVID in 2020, he saw the defense world had nothing like the newsletters the startup world lived on. So he built one.
Six years later, The Merge runs three days a week, with a premium tier and a podcast.
Topics include: • Writing op-eds on active duty • Marine Corps enlisted to Air Force weapons systems officer • The first newsletter in November 2020 • How Save Rounds and On the Radar were born • The three audiences Mike writes for • Merge Premium and the Thursday deep dive • From newsletter survey to podcast
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Links Sign up for the newsletter! https://www.themerge.co/ Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/the_merge Mike LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-benitez/ Joey LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeyarora/
Follow us on... LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/themerge Instagram https://www.instagram.com/merge_newsletter/ X https://x.com/MergeNewsletter Facebook https://www.facebook.com/themergenews Website https://www.themerge.co/
Chapters 00:39 intro 01:37 getting into writing 02:45 a newsletter for defense 03:26 the first email 04:12 fun as the driver 04:48 how "on the radar" started 05:37 Mike's military career 06:21 Marine Corps to Strike Eagle 07:26 why it's called The Merge 08:35 editorial philosophy 09:33 the birth of Save Rounds 10:04 the three audiences 12:23 Merge Premium 14:51 the sixth anniversary 15:27 why the podcast exists 16:45 what's next 17:32 outro
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