Some tech execs want to find a UFO and reverse-engineer it for the betterment of mankind

There are some technologists who are fascinated with UFOs and what they could mean for technology here on Earth, according to Vice. And with US Navy pilots reporting mysterious spherical objects flying around at high speeds, these tech execs may get their chance.

Vice interviewed three tech executives willing to admit their fascination with UFOs for the piece. The article says that admitting an interest in hypothetical alien spacecraft is "still a pretty taboo subject" in the tech industry, and that many investors are unwilling to support related ventures because there is "no guarantee of payoff."

Deep Prasad, CEO of Canadian quantum computing startup ReactiveQ, told Vice that his goal is ultimately to find a UFO and reverse engineer it, for the betterment of mankind.

"In front of our eyes are technologies underlying these UFOs that are far beyond our understanding" Prasad said, but "if we pay close attention and reverse these technologies to bring to the masses, we will see a world with interstellar travel at our fingertips."

Rizwan Virk, executive director of Play Labs @ MIT, told Vice that UFOs could have technology beyond what modern science thinks is possible.

"This phenomenon seems to be about advanced technology that doesn't always fit into our current model of 'what is technology' and what isn't," Virk said to Vice.

Vice also references " American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology" by Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka, chair of the University of North Carolina Wilmington's philosophy and religion department. That book argues that much of the fascination with UFOs is tied up with religious elements, but that there are those who approach the matter scientifically.