Why I built Deadnet
Hayley, founder
I'm Hayley, the founder of Deadnet. I'm an entrepreneur based in the United States — I run a few businesses, and building things is how I solve problems. I built the first working version of Deadnet myself, alone at my desk, because I couldn't find something like it that I'd actually trust. To turn that prototype into a real product, I brought in a small US-based team of developers to debug, harden, and ship it. They handle the build process and every drive that goes out the door — so you never have to wonder whether your USB was assembled in a factory overseas. It wasn't.
When the US went to war with Iran in early 2026, I started thinking seriously about what happens if the power goes out — not for a few hours, but for days or weeks. My first thought was about AI. I use it constantly for work, so I started running local models off a desktop, thinking at minimum I could keep them going off a generator if the grid went down.
But a general-purpose AI doesn't know the specific things you need in a real emergency. So I gave it a curated reference library — military survival manuals, FEMA emergency guides, VA medical field references, government documents on water purification, food safety, emergency shelter, first aid. Real, verified sources that could actually keep people alive. The model retrieves answers from those documents and cites the page it pulled them from, so you can verify every answer.
I packaged the whole thing onto a USB drive — model, knowledge base, web interface — so it runs offline from a single plug. That was the working prototype. Then I brought in a small US team of developers to debug it, harden the rough edges, and turn what I'd built into something I'd actually trust shipping to strangers.
I built it for my own family first. Once it worked, it was obvious other people needed it too. These aren't normal times, and most people don't have the technical background or the time to build something like this themselves.
Deadnet isn't a flashy startup. It's me and a small US team quietly assembling and shipping drives to people who want the most important survival reference ever written sitting in their go-bag, ready to work when nothing else does.
Trust & transparency
I understand the hesitation. You're being asked to plug a USB drive from a small company you don't know yet into your computer. Here's why you can trust it:
100% open source components — Llama 3.1 8B and Llama 3.2 3B (by Meta), FastAPI, ChromaDB, llama.cpp. Every piece of software on the drive is publicly auditable on GitHub. Nothing proprietary, nothing hidden.
Inspect before you run — Plug in the drive and browse every file before you open the app. The PDFs, the source code, the AI model — it's all sitting right there in plain folders. Nothing is hidden or encrypted.
Built and assembled in the USA — Hayley built the original version of Deadnet herself. A small US-based team of developers takes it from there: hardening the code, building the binaries, loading the drives, and running each one through a 10-query QA battery before it ships. Every step happens in the United States. No overseas manufacturing, no contract factories, no third parties handling the product.
Offline means offline — Deadnet never connects to the internet. It physically cannot send your data anywhere. There's no account, no login, no analytics, no cookies, no telemetry. Your questions stay on your computer and disappear when you close the app.
Nothing installed on your computer — The app runs directly from the USB drive. Pull it out and your computer is exactly the same as before. No files left behind, no software installed, no registry changes, no traces.
Nothing runs automatically — When you plug in the drive, nothing happens until you choose to open the app yourself. No autorun, no background processes, no surprises.
Closed beta — currently free — Drives are distributed at no cost to accepted beta testers in exchange for feedback. If your drive arrives damaged, we'll replace it at no cost.
“Is this safe to plug into my computer?”
I get asked this a lot, and it's a fair question — especially if you assume this is some mass-produced product from overseas. It isn't. I built the first version myself. My team in the US debugs, packages, and ships every drive.
Deadnet is a USB drive with an app and survival documents on it. Every piece of software is open source — you can look up Llama, FastAPI, ChromaDB, and llama.cpp on GitHub right now. When you plug in the drive, nothing happens automatically. You choose to open the app yourself, the same way you'd open a Word document or a photo.
It doesn't install anything. It doesn't change any settings. It doesn't connect to the internet. When you're done, you pull out the USB drive. Your computer is exactly the same as before.
I built this for my own family. I use it myself. I wouldn't ship something I don't trust on my own computer — and my team tests every drive before it goes out the door.
Questions? Reach us at support@deadnet.dev
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