While Amazon delivery drones are still trying to figure out where to land, Zipline is already floating boxes into backyards with sci-fi precision — and doing it quietly.
In a recent episode of The Future of Everything, Wall Street Journal reporters explored how Zipline, the drone company once known for dropping blood in Rwanda, is now dropping burritos in Arkansas. And believe it or not, it’s kind of a big deal.
“It took us eight years to do a million deliveries in the history of the company,” says Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, Zipline’s CEO. “Two and a half years from now, we need to be doing a million deliveries a day.”
Zipline’s latest drone, the P2, is a sleek hybrid — part fixed-wing plane, part hover drone. It can fly up to 300 feet above ground, cruise at 70 mph, then hover in place and lower a delivery box on a tiny tether. This isn’t a gimmick — it’s surgical delivery. And it’s supposed to be quieter than a bird. You literally won’t hear it coming. Here’s Keller:
“The biggest thing that we hear again and again and again is people are always like, this looks awesome, but it’s going to be so loud and annoying. Every time we just share a video of what a delivery actually sounds like, and they’re like, oh my God, it’s incredibly quiet, it’s basically serene. And so I think people’s expectations are just going to have to get updated here by virtue of experiencing the technology because even the word ‘drone’ evokes a very annoying noise.”
That indeed is a stark contrast to Amazon’s delivery drones, which require clear landing zones and have been known to buzz like angry wasps. Zipline’s design avoids all that by never touching the ground. Your Chipotle arrives suspended in a specially designed cooler — no lawn craters, no dog freakouts.
The company is already operating in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, and expanding into the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas. Their partners include Walmart and health providers like MultiCare, with plans to deliver everything from diapers to prescriptions. And these aren’t beta tests. This is live, autonomous, commercial delivery that’s serving real people every day.
The podcast also dives into Zipline’s secret sauce: its experience in African countries with complex logistics. By operating in remote and rugged places first, Zipline built a system that’s surprisingly adaptable to suburban America.
It’s also built for scale. Zipline says it can make deliveries in a 10-mile radius in under 10 minutes, and its new platform can be set up at distribution centers, hospitals, and retail rooftops. Think Uber Eats, but with wings.
But there are hurdles. US airspace regulations are stricter than in Rwanda. Zipline has to work closely with the FAA to ensure safety and compliance. Still, the company is confident it’ll win trust.
As Keller explains, people want delivery that’s faster, cleaner, and quieter. And Zipline can do all three, without adding more vans to the road.
So, while Amazon and Alphabet’s Wing continue to test their delivery drones in a few tightly controlled areas, Zipline’s already a daily presence in American skies — and it’s not just for show.
Want to hear the full story — including why doctors love Zipline and what it’s like to watch a burrito drop from the sky? Listen to The Future of Everything podcast here.
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