There's article posted on Digital Camera World that covers Bray's keynote address at SkyDio Ascend 2024 today. The article can be read at Skydio boss warns of PAIN for people who have built their businesses on DJI drones
Adam Bray, CEO of Skydio talked about DJI at Skydio Ascend 2024
- Thread starter anotherlab
- Start date
ryguy80
Well-Known Member
Apparently Bray and Co. feel it’s wiser to spend the money to bring down the entire consumer drone industry than to compete head on with DJI. Even they are betting against themselves.
I honestly don't think DJI is finished in the US; there's still more fight to be had. I'm just sad this huge distraction is costly and painful for everyone and the real impact won't be felt for years because this bill isn't the final word. If it doesn't pass, law-makers aren't just going to walk away. Too many promises have been made and they'll have to follow thru and the damage will be irreversible; setbacks will take a decade to recover. Skydio will be hugely impacted if DJI is not banned so there's going to be some losses somewhere. Really sad it has come down to this.
AeroJ
Well-Known Member
That's quite negative in the outlook department !
They can follow through, but so can we, now we all appreciate how great the risk of a ban was / is. I am told that the Senate has removed the offending section from the NDA act, which will either result in them trying to stealth it through attached to something else, like they did initially, (though why they would try that again if it fails the first time I don't know) or effectively forcing it to stand on its own merits if re-tabled alone, which it can't really do without releasing the 'evidence' of DJI wrongdoing that they claim exists but is conveniently classified. But I think / hope there are enough people who rely on DJI stuff 'shouting' at Senators now to get and hold their attention. It is up to us (and by that I mean US pilots) to maintain that pressure until those types of bill and people like Adam Bray and Elise Stefanik are adequately rebuffed !
Last edited:
Our lawmakers are a good part of the reason our manufacturing base in the USA has eroded into the shell of our capabilities we once had. They allowed our big corporations to offshore many processes for “cheaper labor” which was only partially the reason. The major issues were costs to maintain compliance with OSHA and EPA legislation.
When the major corporations sent work offshore thousands of smaller private manufacturing businesses were no longer needed to support that product and were essentially forced to close down.
I used to be part of that work force.
When the major corporations sent work offshore thousands of smaller private manufacturing businesses were no longer needed to support that product and were essentially forced to close down.
I used to be part of that work force.
Agreed, the fight doesn't end there. There is a whole another judicial component of this should the ban success in Congress. That's where we all can become even more active.
AeroJ
Well-Known Member
I'd also quite like to see people like them ceremonially fired out of a canon into the desert or at least slapped round the face with a wet fish or by an angry cat until they apologise for their behaviour. Who do I write to about that ?
Last edited:
I love to buy "American Made" products! However, when it comes to the business I'm in, photography, there is little to no equipment out there, especially when it comes to drones. There are no "American Made" consumer/prosumer drones that come close to the quality and price of a DJI drone - PERIOD!
I have written many emails and letters to various lawmakers, including my mayor, governor, etc., but have received no response. In my humble opinion restricting my purchasing ability is unconstitutional and that's as far as I can take my rant before it becomes "too political" in nature.
I have written many emails and letters to various lawmakers, including my mayor, governor, etc., but have received no response. In my humble opinion restricting my purchasing ability is unconstitutional and that's as far as I can take my rant before it becomes "too political" in nature.
The US ceded the consumer electronics market to Asia decades ago. None of this is new. DJI could have side-stepped this issue by opening a manufacturing plant in the US like the foreign car companies did. But we are past that point.
Congress has pushed a false narrative about security issues as a means for blocking DJI. Tariffs are a way of leveling competition. But that only addresses the cost. DJI gained market share on price and functionality. Tariffs only address the former.
Congress has pushed a false narrative about security issues as a means for blocking DJI. Tariffs are a way of leveling competition. But that only addresses the cost. DJI gained market share on price and functionality. Tariffs only address the former.
Exactly! No proof has ever been provided (that I know of)
Conversely, there have been several independent security audits that have found no issues - the most recent being 2024:
Security Audits & Certification - Trust Center - DJI
Since 2017, DJI's data security practices have been validated by multiple federal agencies as well as independent private sector firms. The agencies independently procure DJI products off-the-shelf and conduct a thorough technical investigation. Learn more about the audits and certifications...
He should have chosen his words carefully, I am convinced he wants to dominate the drone industry in the USA ( with a little help from his Friends in Congress ), doesn't even care if he hurts the consumer and commercial users of DJI, that seems to be his goal. DJI will certainly prevail the world over because they have an excellent product ( can't say the same for Skydio, they have good drones and I like them for what they do, but they're certainly not in the same class as DJI ).
Mr. Bry, I'm disappointed
Edited on 9/29
In my two cents, Adam Bry and his Team did well in promoting their brand, products and UAS in general, but it was a **** move to bring up DJI owners in a negative light, trash talk is not good for business nor good for the camaraderie of drone owners, look at the political ads today, nothing but trash talk, but no ideas nor solutions.
Did Wang Tao ( Frank Wang to us ) ever trash talk Skydio or any other brand ? Who Knows ?
I have always complained about Chinese made products over the years because they were basically made with minimum standards to be inexpensive to purchase, meaning they were garbage, but that's what the people want.
DJI and it's drones are not in that category, they have that Wow Factor and I was quite surprised by the tech and workmanship, Frank Wang did good, I don't even care if he is Asian, Italian or Hawiian, he brought us enjoyment.
Adam Bry did as well, until he didn't.
Last edited:
I really enjoy the forum here and value my membership. The words I would use for Bray would probably get me in trouble so I'll just keep them to myself.
Wreckhunter
Well-Known Member
Bray does not have the guts to face DJI one on one.Keep talking about security threats but no one can provide any proof that DJI is a threat.He should have chosen his words carefully, I am convinced he wants to dominate the drone industry in the USA ( with a little help from his Friends in Congress ), doesn't even care if he hurts the consumer and commercial users of DJI, that seems to be his goal. DJI will certainly prevail the world over because they have an excellent product ( can't say the same for Skydio, they have good drones and I like them for what they do, but they're certainly not in the same class as DJI ).
Mr. Bry, I'm disappointed
Just talk and speculation,just more political moves.A spy balloon was allowed to travel all the way across the United States taking photos and
probably mapping and yet nothing was done about that.Seems that would be a lot bigger threat than DJI consumer drones.
So congress maybe it is time to back off with the silly DJI drone bashing and silly ban.If you people can and would be able to provide solid proof and evidence that DJI is a security threat to the US,then maybe things would be different.
You have a VERY limited and skewed understanding of how and why much of America's manufacturing went offshore. I spent my career working in the semiconductor industry and I do know ... it was my business to know.
1. Lots of other countries (including China and much of Europe) have their own protectionist policies and if you don't contribute significant value added locally you don't sell there. Lots of companies in foreign countries have their own "buy locally" policies as well.
2. Supply chain logistics often dictate that you build offshore. If your source of supply is located on the other side of the world it's expensive to ship the materials to the U.S. only to ship the finished goods back across the ocean for sale.
3. This is a big one ... for decades manufacturing technology was looked upon as an uninteresting career field in the U.S. Go look up how many U.S. universities offer manufacturing specialties of any kind compared to the universities in China, Taiwan, Korea, and even Japan. When we tried to hire competent engineers to expand manufacturing capability we literally couldn't find them. We tried offering grants to universities to encourage them to set up appropriate studies, but without much success.
4. Do some research for yourself and find out where most of manufacturing research and development took place over the last several decades. It wasn't in the U.S. It was in places like Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Netherlands, and even the UK. The knowledge base grew elsewhere ... not here.
5. Lots of local jurisdictions are so full of bureaucracy that it is almost impossible to get approval for factory expansions. At one point we wanted to expand a wafer fab and we agreed up front to every single requirement (environmental, etc) but were told that the paperwork alone would take 18 months before we could even start. We ended up putting the fab offshore because we could do it in six months.
6. Labor cost is always a consideration, but today's modern manufacturing is heavily automated and the direct labor cost (the cost that is strictly a function of units being built) is rarely a sole deciding factor. The salaried costs and the depreciation on expensive equipment is a large equalizer.
7. Avoiding OSHA and EPA legislation was never a goal for true manufacturing companies ... not the ones that mattered. Maybe for really low end stuff that didn't belong here in the U.S. anyway, but even those soon ran afoul of the same considerations offshore. The companies that truly affect U.S. manufacturing competency had nothing to worry about from providing a safe environment for workers. The oil and chemical industries arguably had the most to lose from safety and anti-pollution regulations and they have done very well by staying in the U.S. The companies that drive manufacturing competitiveness are those that populate circuit boards, make ultra small components, make semiconductor wafers and the equipment needed to make semiconductor wafers, make drones, make fabrication equipment, etc. Those industries need tight process control and clean operations to survive ... they'd have their own OSHA equivalents even if the government didn't mandate them.
Much has been made about the government's efforts to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. via various grants and tax incentives. That will for sure have some impact as companies grab at the chance for easy money, but it won't be successful over the long haul unless most of the above points get fixed as well ... and most are going to take a LOT longer to get fixed than writing a check.
Wreckhunter
Well-Known Member
We have on here officially renamed this company,which is what they so deserve.
DJI Drone Deals
New Threads
-
-
-
Air 3 Llyn Crafnant - Vale of the Wild Garlic- Started by AlbionDrones
- Replies: 0
-
Mavic 3 OEM Battery 4 Cycles, K&F Concepts Filter set, CPL, ND2-32, ND2-32 Black Diffusion- Started by Dogpilot
- Replies: 0
-
Forum statistics
