I, like many of you, recently watched the Christopher Nolan film Oppenheimer. This blockbuster film is based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus that chronicles the career of American theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer. While watching the film, I was drawn to how I could relate this piece pop culture related closely to my day to day workings as a cybersecurity executive.

Cybersecurity is a rapidly evolving field that still holds many unknowns. New vulnerabilities and threats emerge daily, keeping us on our toes. The future of cryptography may be uncertain with the potential rise of quantum computing.

The importance of executive buy in.

Many reading this post who may not know the backstory of Oppenheimer’s counterpart during World War II, Werner Heisenberg. A few years ago I stumbled across a History Channel documentary American Genius: Oppenheimer vs Heisenberg. Heisenberg, a German Nobel laureate, was considered by most to be the founding father of quantum mechanics (a key predecessor to the nuclear bomb).

When the Manhattan project kicked off, it was believed that the German’s had a 6 month head start on the United States for building a nuclear bomb. That head start, coupled with the father of quantum mechanics on the Nazi side, how was it possible for the United States to beat the Germans to the first atomic bomb? Executive Buy In.

Hate is an awful thing, and the Third Reich was full of it. From the top down there was disdain for anything remotely associated with Judaism. This would be, in my humble opinion, the ultimate reason why the United States was able to beat the German’s in the pursuit for the atomic bomb.

Nazi party leaders held a high contempt for many of the scientist associated with Heisenberg’s team. Some even equated quantum mechanics as “Jewish Science” due to it’s connection to Albert Einstein.

In contrast, the United States leadership, literally from the top down (FDR himself) believed in the atomic bomb program. Einstein himself wrote a letter to the president warning him of the potentially destructive forces a nuclear device could possess. In response, Roosevelt approved uranium research, invested heavily in the Manhattan Project, and empowered those throughout the chain for command to push for the device in a timely manner.

CISO Application and Conclusion

I appreciate you taking this walk through history with me, and I encourage other cybersecurity executives to watch both the film and the documentary from the history channel. The Manhattan Project is probably one of the largest engineering milestones of history. It cost US$2 billion in the 1940’s (equivalent to ~$25 billion USD in todays dollars). How did it succeed? It all started with executive buy in.

A 6 month head-start, the father of quantum mechanics, and all the military might of Nazi Germany was not able to overcome a well funded, organized effort driven from the President of the United States. As CISO’s we should take this to heart, ensure that our senior leadership teams understand the risks and costs associated we may encounter, so that we can march forward much like Oppenheimer and his team.