When you search for mandy long big bear, you probably aren't looking for a vacation rental in the California mountains. You're likely looking into the high-stakes world of defense tech and decision intelligence. Mandy Long, the former CEO of BigBear.ai, took over a company that was, frankly, in a bit of a tailspin. She didn't just walk into a corner office; she walked into a restructuring nightmare.
Honestly, the tech world moves so fast that by the time you've read a headline, the leadership has already shifted. As of January 2025, Long transitioned out of the CEO role, handing the keys to Kevin McAleenan. But her era at the company defines why BigBear.ai is even still a conversation piece in 2026.
✨ Don't miss: President-Elect Donald Trump Announces New Line of Fragrances: What It Actually Smells Like
The Reality of Mandy Long at BigBear.ai
Most people think being a CEO is all about vision and grand speeches. For Mandy Long, it was more like being a professional firefighter. When she arrived in October 2022, the company was struggling with the "SPAC hangover"—that period where a company goes public and realizes it overpromised on every single metric.
She came from IBM. She knew how to handle massive, clunky systems. At IBM, she was the Vice President of IT Automation. She wasn't just a "business person"; she was a product person.
Why she mattered to the stock
Investors were skeptical. You've seen the charts. BigBear.ai (BBAI) was volatile. Long’s job was to "productize" the company. Before her, they were basically a high-end consulting firm for the government. They did "services." Services don't scale well. You need humans for services. Software, however, scales like crazy.
Long pushed the company to move toward "Observe, Orient, and Dominate." These are the three modules of their AI platform. It sounds like something out of a Tom Clancy novel, but basically, it's about taking messy data and making it useful for the military and big corporations.
Cutting Through the Hype
Let's be real: AI is a buzzword that people throw around when they want to sound smart. Mandy Long was actually pretty refreshing because she didn't just use the buzzwords. She talked about the "Foundational Year." That’s CEO-speak for "we have to fix everything we broke while we were trying to grow too fast."
In 2023, she helped secure a $900 million contract with the U.S. Air Force. That’s a huge deal. It’s a 10-year contract. But even then, she was cautious. She told reporters that the defense market is lucrative but hard. You can't just "move fast and break things" when you're dealing with national security.
💡 You might also like: DOGE Stimulus Check: What Most People Get Wrong
The Pangiam acquisition
If you want to understand her legacy, look at the Pangiam deal. BigBear.ai bought Pangiam (an image recognition and biometrics firm) in early 2024. This was a strategic play. It wasn't just about getting bigger; it was about getting the right technology to bid on bigger government contracts. Interestingly, the person who ran Pangiam, Kevin McAleenan, is the one who eventually took her job.
What Most People Miss
People often get confused because they see "Big Bear" and think of the lake. Or they see "Mandy Long" and think of a local real estate agent. There actually is a Mandy Long who works in real estate, but she has nothing to do with the NYSE-listed AI firm.
If you are looking for the tech executive:
- Location: She’s primarily based in the Chicago area, not Maryland where the company is headquartered.
- Background: She was a Class President at Connecticut College. She studied economics.
- Successes: She was named one of the "Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT" back in 2017.
The Transition to Advisor
In early 2025, the board decided it was time for a change. Kevin McAleenan took over as CEO on January 15, 2025. Mandy Long didn't just vanish; she stayed on as a company advisor. This is a classic move in the corporate world. It signals to investors that there isn't a "scandal," just a shift in strategy.
McAleenan has a heavy government background—he was the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. This tells you exactly where BigBear.ai is headed. They aren't trying to be a general AI company anymore. They want to be the "Defense AI" company.
👉 See also: 1 million naira to dollars: What you actually get after the fees and fluctuations
Actionable Insights for Observers
If you're following mandy long big bear because you're an investor or just a tech enthusiast, there are a few things you should keep an eye on right now.
- Watch the Backlog: The company’s "backlog" (work they have signed but haven't been paid for yet) was around $376 million late last year. If that number drops, the company is in trouble.
- The Advisor Role: Usually, when a CEO becomes an "advisor," they stay for 6–12 months. Watch for when she fully exits. That’s often when you’ll see her start a new venture or join another board.
- Pangiam Integration: The success of the current CEO depends entirely on how well he integrates the company Mandy Long helped him sell to BigBear.ai.
- Separate the Noise: Don't confuse the "Big Bear" brand with regional businesses. This is a global, public company focused on high-level data analytics.
Mandy Long's tenure was about survival and stabilization. She took a messy, post-SPAC startup and turned it into a structured organization that the government felt comfortable giving $900 million contracts to. Whether the company thrives under new leadership is yet to be seen, but the foundation she built is undeniably there.