Skydio’s X2 Drones: CEO Adam Bry Talks Breakthrough Autonomy and $100 Million

Following a landmark $100 million Series C funding round that catapulted its valuation, Skydio CEO Adam Bry articulated a vision where drones are defined not by their camera, but by their intelligence. The funding, led by Next47, was a massive endorsement of Skydio’s core differentiator: advanced artificial intelligence that enables fully autonomous obstacle avoidance and subject tracking.

Bry positioned the Skydio X2, the company’s enterprise and government-focused platform, as a “flying AI camera” that transforms operators into supervisors. He argued that while traditional drones require highly skilled pilots to avoid crashes in complex environments like infrastructure inspections or disaster zones, Skydio’s autonomy handles the flight mechanics, allowing the user to focus on capturing the right data. The $100 million infusion was earmarked for scaling production of the X2, deepening software development for verticals like energy and construction, and aggressively expanding into defense—a sector that had already shown keen interest through contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. Bry’s message was that autonomy is not a niche feature; it is the foundational technology that will unlock the true scalability and reliability of drones for professional use.