Palmer Luckey is Founder of Anduril Industries, a defense technology company transforming national security with AI-powered autonomous systems. He previously founded Oculus VR and designed the Oculus Rift, which revived the virtual reality industry.

Luckey was homeschooled and began college at age 14, studying at Golden West College and Long Beach City College before dropping out to launch Oculus VR at age 20. He sold Oculus to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014 and left the company in 2017.

Luckey built over 50 VR prototypes in his parents' garage, earning $36,000 by repairing iPhones to fund his work. His Oculus Kickstarter raised $2.4 million, nearly 10 times its goal.

Anduril raised $6.26 billion in total funding and reached a $30.5 billion valuation in 2025, with major contracts including a $642 million Marine Corps deal and a $1.1 billion Australian Navy submarine program. The company hit $1 billion in revenue in 2024 and is building Arsenal-1, a $1 billion manufacturing facility in Ohio.

Anduril's Lattice AI platform powers autonomous surveillance systems deployed at U.S. borders and military bases worldwide. The company secured contracts for collaborative combat aircraft and counter-drone systems, positioning itself as a next-generation defense prime disrupting traditional contractors.