AWE USA 2024
Palmer Luckey is an American inventor, innovator, and entrepreneur. He is the Founder of defense technology company Anduril Industries, designer of the Oculus Rift virtual reality head-mounted display, and the Founder of Oculus VR, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for .3 billion.
In 2017, Palmer founded Anduril Industries to radically transform the defense capabilities of the United States and its allies by fusing artificial intelligence with the latest hardware advancements. At Anduril, Palmer integrates a consumer technology business model with mission-driven objectives, enabling rapid product development and deployment, setting the company apart from other players in the defense industry.
His deep interest in defense technology was driven by his time at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies Mixed Reality Lab, where he built hardware used to research immersive PTSD treatment for U.S. military veterans. He continued to support various military applications of virtual reality during his time at Oculus, informing his belief that radical modernization of U.S. military technology is a prerequisite for preserving our way of life.
Palmer began attending Golden West College and Long Beach City College at the age of 14, and studied at California State University, Long Beach before dropping out to build Oculus VR.