Career Timeline of Palmer Luckey: Major Achievements and Milestones

How Palmer Luckey built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Palmer Luckey is an American entrepreneur who founded Oculus VR and designed the Oculus Rift, a device credited with revitalizing the virtual reality industry. After leaving Oculus in 2017, he established Anduril Industries, a defense technology company specializing in autonomous drones and sensors for military use. Luckey has been recognized on Forbes' list of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 for his innovative contributions.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Controversies & Scandals

2009: Foundation of ModRetro Forums

In 2009, Palmer Luckey and a friend founded the ModRetro Forums, an online community focused on "portabilization," which involves converting old hardware devices into portable units.

2009: VR Headset Design Begins

In 2009, at the age of 16, Palmer Luckey started designing and building his own VR headsets, addressing issues like low contrast, narrow field-of-view, high latency, and excessive bulk in existing models.

April 2012: Launch of Oculus VR

In April 2012, Palmer Luckey launched Oculus VR to officially start the Kickstarter campaign for the Oculus Rift.

August 2012: Brendan Iribe Hired as CEO of Oculus

In August 2012, after raising more than $1 million through Kickstarter, Palmer Luckey hired Brendan Iribe as the CEO of Oculus VR. The company expanded with more employees and larger office space, while Luckey focused on product engineering, game development, and marketing, eventually concentrating on virtual reality input hardware and the Oculus Touch controller.

2012: Doom 3 Demonstration and University Dropout

In 2012, John Carmack showcased Doom 3: BFG Edition on Luckey's VR headset at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, leading to significant attention for the Rift. Following this exposure, Luckey dropped out of university to focus on the project full-time.

March 2014: Acquisition of Oculus VR by Facebook

In March 2014, Facebook acquired Oculus VR for US$2 billion.

2016: Royal Photographic Society Progress Medal and Honorary Fellowship

In 2016, Palmer Luckey was awarded the Royal Photographic Society Progress medal and Honorary Fellowship for his contributions to scientific or technological development of photography or imaging.

2016: Forbes List Ranking

In 2016, Palmer Luckey was ranked number 22 on Forbes' List of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40.

March 2017: Departure from Facebook and Oculus VR

In March 2017, Palmer Luckey left Facebook and ended his involvement with Oculus VR, without any official explanation from either party.

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June 2017: Founding of Anduril Industries

In June 2017, Palmer Luckey founded Anduril Industries, a military technology company focused on autonomy.

2017: Donations to Republican Campaigns and Organizations

In 2017, Palmer Luckey donated to the 2017 Presidential Inaugural Committee, among other Republican-affiliated organizations and political candidates.

2017: Departure from Oculus and Founding of Anduril Industries

In 2017, Palmer Luckey left Oculus VR and subsequently founded Anduril Industries, a military technology company specializing in autonomous drones and sensors.

March 2018: Anduril's Pilot Program at the US Southern Border

In March 2018, Anduril Industries began a pilot program for the US government to detect human trafficking and drug smuggling at the southern border, leading to 55 attempted entrants being caught in its first 12 days.

April 2018: Senate Hearing Question on Luckey's Firing

In April 2018, during testimony before the United States Senate, Senator Ted Cruz questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the reasons for Palmer Luckey's firing, but Zuckerberg declined to provide specific details.

November 2018: Facebook's Denial of Wrongdoing

In November 2018, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth and Facebook denied any wrongdoing related to Palmer Luckey's departure, stating that his political views were not the reason for his leaving the company.

November 2018: Internal Facebook Emails and Payout

In November 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported on internal Facebook emails suggesting that executives pressured Palmer Luckey to support Gary Johnson, a libertarian candidate. After his departure, Luckey reportedly negotiated a payout of at least $100 million, alleging that Facebook violated California law by pressuring him to support Johnson and punishing him for his political activities.

September 2020: Anduril Receives $967M Contract

In September 2020, Palmer Luckey announced that Anduril had received a $967 million contract for the Advanced Battle Management Systems (ABMS) project by the U.S. Air Force.

February 2022: Anduril Wins $1 Billion Contract

In February 2022, Palmer Luckey announced that Anduril had secured a $1 billion contract to lead counter-unmanned systems work for United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

May 4, 2022: Anduril and Australian Military Negotiations

According to a May 4, 2022 announcement, Anduril and the Australian military entered commercial negotiations for a $100 million co-funded program to design, develop, and manufacture extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles (XL-AUVs) for the Royal Australian Navy.

November 2022: VR Headset Art Piece

In November 2022, Palmer Luckey created a VR headset art piece, based on what appears to be a modified Meta Quest Pro, that kills the user in real life when the user dies in the video game.

December 2022: Anduril Valuation at $8.5 Billion

In December 2022, Anduril raised around $1.5 billion led by Valor Equity Partners, valuing the company at $8.5 billion, including the new cash from the raise.

June 8, 2024: Co-hosted Fundraiser for Trump

On June 8, 2024, Palmer Luckey co-hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump at John Word's residence, with attendees donating up to $100,000 per person.

June 2024: ModRetro Releases Chromatic Handheld

In June 2024, ModRetro, founded by Luckey, released its first product, the ModRetro Chromatic, a handheld retrogaming device compatible with original Game Boy games.