Who Is Palmer Luckey? Co-Founder, Anduril Industries
Palmer Luckey is a co-founder of the defense-technology company Anduril and continues to run ModRetro.
At Drones & Defense, we track the founders, executives and program leaders behind the aerial drones, uncrewed ground vehicles and uncrewed maritime vessels we research, because who runs a drone company or a military drone program shapes its contracts, production and strategy.
Luckey founded Oculus VR in 2012 before selling it to Facebook in 2014, and subsequently co-founded Anduril Industries in 2017 alongside Brian Schimpf, Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, and Joseph Chen.
Where Palmer Luckey Is Now
Palmer Luckey is a co-founder of the defense-technology company Anduril and continues to operate ModRetro (Business Insider).
- Current role: Co-founder of Anduril and operator of ModRetro
- Organization: Anduril Industries and ModRetro
- Known for: Founding Oculus VR and co-founding defense-technology company Anduril
- Recent news: Conceived Warhound with Ben Lamm (Mother Jones) and partnered with Mark Zuckerberg on a military defense contract in 2025 (Business Insider)
Career and Education
Palmer Luckey began taking college courses at age 14 (Business Insider). He later dropped out of a journalism major at California State University, Long Beach to establish Oculus (Business Insider).
Luckey founded ModRetro in 2009 and still runs the company (Business Insider). In 2012, he founded Oculus VR, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion in cash and stock (Business Insider). He was fired from Meta in 2016 (Business Insider).
In 2017, Luckey co-founded Anduril Industries with Brian Schimpf, Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, and Joseph Chen (Business Insider).
Recent Ventures and News
In 2025, Luckey partnered with Mark Zuckerberg on a defense contract for the U.S. military (Business Insider).
Luckey collaborated with Ben Lamm to conceive Warhound, a startup intended to develop genetically engineered war dogs for the U.S. military (Mother Jones). In a press announcement, Luckey commented that man's best friend deserves man's best tech (The Verge). Luckey retains no equity and holds no ongoing role at Warhound (The Verge).
Public Statements and Views
Luckey has stated that artificial intelligence will assist personnel in making superior decisions on the battlefield (Business Insider).
Palmer Luckey FAQs
Who is Palmer Luckey?
Palmer Luckey is a co-founder of the defense-technology firm Anduril and the founder of Oculus VR and ModRetro (Mother Jones; Business Insider).
When did Palmer Luckey co-found Anduril Industries?
Palmer Luckey co-founded Anduril Industries in 2017 alongside Brian Schimpf, Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, and Joseph Chen (Business Insider).
What is Palmer Luckey's involvement with Warhound?
Luckey helped conceive Warhound alongside Ben Lamm to create genetically engineered war dogs for the U.S. military, but he holds no equity or ongoing role in the startup (Mother Jones; The Verge).
When was Oculus VR sold to Facebook?
Palmer Luckey sold Oculus VR to Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion in cash and stock (Business Insider).
What did Palmer Luckey state regarding battlefield artificial intelligence?
Luckey stated that AI will help people make better decisions on the battlefield (Business Insider).
What defense partnership did Palmer Luckey form in 2025?
In 2025, Palmer Luckey partnered with Mark Zuckerberg on a U.S. military defense contract (Business Insider).