Palmer Luckey
Born 1992 · Age 33
American entrepreneur; founder of Oculus VR (creator of the Oculus Rift) and founder/chairman of defense-technology company Anduril Industries. Known for reviving VR and for building autonomous military systems.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Long Beach, California
Palmer Freeman Luckey was born in Long Beach, California.
Took college courses while young
Took courses at Golden West College and Long Beach City College beginning at about age 14–15.
Founded ModRetro Forums (online community)
Co-founded ModRetro Forums, an online community for portabilization (turning old hardware into portable devices).
Began building personal VR headsets
Started building VR head-mounted displays of his own design, addressing problems like latency, cost, and field-of-view.
Completed first prototype PR1
Completed his first VR prototype (PR1) in his parents' garage; featured 90° field-of-view, low latency and haptic feedback.
Enrolled at California State University, Long Beach
Began attending CSU Long Beach (later majored in journalism and became Online Editor for the Daily 49er student paper).
Worked at USC Institute for Creative Technologies (MxR)
Worked part-time as an engineer in the Mixed Reality Lab designing cost-effective VR systems for BRAVEMIND (US Army PTSD treatment project).
Funded hobby by repairing/reselling electronics
Earned at least US$36,000 by fixing and reselling damaged iPhones and working part-time jobs to fund VR projects.
Oculus Kickstarter campaign succeeds (Rift)
Kickstarter campaign for the Oculus Rift raised about US$2.4 million (974% of target), galvanizing the nascent consumer VR community.
Dropped out of college to focus on Oculus
Following heightened attention from demos and press, Luckey left CSU Long Beach to work on Oculus full-time.
Demo tour to press & gamers (PAX, Gamescom, QuakeCon)
Demonstrated the Rift widely across gaming conventions, increasing press and developer interest.
Launched Oculus VR company
Formally launched Oculus VR to facilitate an upcoming Kickstarter campaign for the Oculus Rift DIY kit.
John Carmack demonstrates Luckey headset at E3 2012
Id Software's John Carmack used Luckey's prototype on-stage at E3 2012 to demo Doom 3: BFG Edition, triggering broad attention for the Rift.
Hired Brendan Iribe as CEO
After raising more than $1M on Kickstarter, Luckey hired Brendan Iribe to be CEO as Oculus expanded staff and facilities.
Oculus expands engineering & offices
Oculus VR took on more employees and moved into larger office space as development continued.
Facebook acquires Oculus VR
Facebook (now Meta) acquired Oculus VR for approximately US$2.0 billion in a deal that made Luckey wealthy overnight.
ZeniMax files lawsuit against Oculus and Luckey
ZeniMax Media sued Oculus and Luckey alleging misuse of trade secrets and other claims shortly after the Facebook acquisition.
Featured on Time magazine cover
Luckey was featured on the cover of Time in an article about virtual reality (August 2015); the cover provoked widespread online commentary.
Forbes net worth estimate
Forbes estimated Palmer Luckey's net worth at approximately US$700 million (published 2015).
Ranked #22 on Forbes 'America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40'
Luckey was ranked number 22 on Forbes' 2016 list of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40.
Political donation controversy (Nimble America)
Reportedly donated US$10,000 to Nimble America, a pro-Trump group; faced developer backlash and issued an apology for the negative impact on Oculus' perception.
Left Facebook / parted ways with Oculus
Palmer Luckey left Facebook and ceased involvement with Oculus VR in March 2017; the specific reasons were not publicly confirmed by Facebook.
Founded Anduril Industries
In June 2017 Luckey co-founded Anduril Industries with Matt Grimm, Trae Stephens, Brian Schimpf and Joseph Chen, focusing on autonomous systems and defense sensors.
ZeniMax jury verdict (initial award)
Jury found Luckey had violated an NDA (de minimis damages) and awarded a combined total of US$500 million against Oculus/affiliates for copyright issues, assigning Luckey US$50M of that (Feb 2, 2017 trial; reporting around these dates).
Anduril pilot at southern border (first results)
Anduril conducted a pilot program to detect trafficking/smuggling on the US southern border; pilot caught 55 attempted entrants in its first 12 days (March 2018).
Judge reduces ZeniMax damages; Luckey's damages dismissed
In June 2018 the judge reduced the total damages owed by Oculus/Facebook to US$250 million and dismissed damages owed by Luckey personally.
Negotiated payout from Facebook after departure
After his exit Luckey hired employment counsel and negotiated at least a US$100 million payout from Facebook, per reporting on internal discussions.
Married Nicole Edelmann
Palmer Luckey married long-time girlfriend Nicole Edelmann (marriage reported in 2019).
CBP declares Anduril towers a Program of Record
U.S. Customs and Border Protection declared Anduril's Autonomous Surveillance Towers a Program of Record (July 2, 2020), enabling large-scale deployments.
Anduril announced ABMS contract (USAF) worth US$967M
Luckey announced via Twitter that Anduril had received a US$967 million contract tied to the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) effort for the U.S. Air Force.
Hosted Trump fundraiser at Newport Beach home
Hosted a fundraising event for Donald Trump at his Lido Isle home with ticket prices ranging from US$2,800 to US$150,000 per couple (October 2020).
Forbes/press reporting on Anduril growth; Luckey becomes notable defense tech figure
Multiple profiles and analysis highlighted Luckey's transition from VR entrepreneur to defense-tech CEO; Anduril valuation and relevance rose amid war-driven demand.
Anduril wins US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) US$1B contract
Anduril won a US$1 billion contract to lead counter-unmanned systems work for SOCOM (announced February 2022).
Unveiled jet-powered 'Roadrunner' drone
Anduril publicly revealed a new high-speed jet-powered drone (Roadrunner) designed for interception and strike missions.
Created controversial 'VR headset that kills its user' art piece
Announced an office art piece modifying a VR headset with explosive charges to 'kill the user' when the in-game avatar died; described as thought-provoking art.
Anduril annual revenue milestone reported (~US$500M)
Investor presentations reported by the Information indicated Anduril brought in around US$500 million in revenue in the prior year.
Anduril acquired rocket-engine manufacturer (Mississippi)
Anduril purchased a rocket engine manufacturer to add propulsion capabilities and vertical integration to its defense offerings (late 2023 reports).
Forbes reports Anduril valuation and Luckey as 'billionaire'
Press noted that growth in defense demand and Anduril's valuation made Luckey a billionaire (reporting through 2022–2023 indicated Luckey crossed US$1B net worth).
Sued contractor after being trapped in mansion car elevator
Reportedly sued a construction contractor after being trapped in his mansion's car elevator; project to convert property next to his home into a giant garage cost around US$2.5M.
Reported ownership/collection of military vehicles and missile silos
Reported to own a Mark V Special Operations Craft, multiple helicopters (including a UH-60 Black Hawk), submarines, and to be acquiring decommissioned ICBM silos to preserve/restore.
ModRetro releases ModRetro Chromatic handheld
ModRetro (a project/company Luckey founded) released the ModRetro Chromatic, a handheld device capable of playing original Game Boy games (June 2024).
Co-hosted Trump fundraiser (Newport Beach, June 8, 2024)
Co-hosted a high-dollar fundraiser for Donald Trump where donors spent up to US$100,000 per person; part of continued political fundraising activity.
LA Times profile on Luckey & Anduril (public contracts & fundraising)
Profiled as having raised more than US$2B in venture funding and signed well over US$1B in public contracts; highlighted defense strategy, political giving and collections.
Mega funding round values Anduril at ~US$30B (Founders Fund-led)
Forbes reported a large funding round (Founders Fund-led) that valued Anduril around US$30 billion — a major valuation step for the company and its founders/co-founders.
Spoke at TED (April 2025)
Gave a TED talk/speech (speaker appearance reported April 2025).
Interview on 60 Minutes (May 18, 2025)
Featured on 60 Minutes in a segment about Luckey and Anduril's autonomous weapons and AI-powered systems.
Key Achievement Ages
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