PeopleofSuperintelligence

Builder

Palmer Luckey

Palmer Luckey founded Anduril Industries in 2017, and his vision centers on autonomous, AI-powered weapons. Before that, he sold Oculus, the company he founded in 2012, to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014. In 2019, Anduril won a $13.5 million contract to monitor US Marine bases with autonomous systems. In 2024, the Pentagon bought the company's AI weapons and sent others to Ukraine, and in 2026 Luckey started the AI Grand Prix, a drone race with a $500,000 prize pool. As of October 2026, he is a co-founder of Anduril Industries, a defense company.

Now at
Anduril Industries
Photo of Palmer Luckey

Timeline

  1. 2012

    Founding Oculus VR

    He founds Oculus VR in April 2012 to facilitate the launch of the Kickstarter campaign.

  2. 2014

    Selling Oculus to Facebook

    He sells Oculus to Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion.

  3. 2017

    Founding Anduril Industries

    In 2017, he founds Anduril Industries, a defense technology firm focused on autonomous systems.

  4. 2019

    Monitoring US Marine bases

    Anduril wins a $13.5 million contract in 2019 to monitor US Marine bases with autonomous systems.

  5. 2024

    AI weapons for Ukraine

    In 2024, the Pentagon buys Anduril's AI weapons, keeps some, and sends others to Ukraine.

  6. 2025

    A vision of autonomous weapons

    In 2025, CBS News profiles his vision of autonomous, AI-powered weapons.

  7. January 2026

    Starting the AI Grand Prix

    In 2026, Luckey starts the AI Grand Prix, a drone race with a $500,000 prize pool.

  8. As of October 2026

    Co-founder of Anduril Industries

    He is a co-founder of Anduril Industries, a defense company.

Sources and credits

Photo: eVRydayVR from Berkeley, CA, United States, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC0. Source: commons.wikimedia.org. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.

  1. Palmer Luckey - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Tech billionaire Palmer Luckey wants to remake the U.S. military with autonomous weapons - CBS News cbsnews.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Anduril will fast-track your job application if you can win its AI drone-flying contest | Fortune fortune.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Palmer Luckey’s military startup will monitor US bases with AI | MIT Technology Review technologyreview.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. He created Oculus headsets as a teenager. Now he makes AI weapons for Ukraine : NPR npr.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. $500K, Anduril Job Top Prize for Drone Racers - Orange County Business Journal ocbj.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. PALMER LUCKEY - Orange County Business Journal ocbj.com. Checked 14 October 2026.