History of Palmer Luckey in Timeline

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

1989: Release of the Nintendo Game Boy

In 1989, Nintendo launched the Game Boy, a handheld gaming console whose original games can be played in June 2024 by the ModRetro Chromatic, a device developed by ModRetro and launched by Palmer Luckey

September 19, 1992: Palmer Luckey's Birth

On September 19, 1992, Palmer Freeman Luckey was born. He is an American entrepreneur known for founding Oculus VR and designing the Oculus Rift.

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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.

2010: Enrollment at California State University, Long Beach

In 2010, Palmer Luckey attended California State University, Long Beach, where he later majored in journalism and worked for the university's student newspaper, the Daily 49er.

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.

2014: American Ingenuity Award

In 2014, Palmer Luckey received Smithsonian magazine's American Ingenuity Award in the Youth category.

2014: Described as "Face of Virtual Reality"

In 2014, Palmer Luckey was described as "the face of virtual reality in gaming" and became known among virtual reality enthusiasts. He is known for his casual appearance, often seen barefoot or wearing sandals.

2015: Luckey's Estimated Net Worth

In 2015, Forbes magazine estimated Palmer Luckey's net worth to be $700 million.

2015: Time Magazine Cover Feature

In 2015, Palmer Luckey was featured on the cover of Time magazine in an article titled "The Surprising Joy of Virtual Reality". The image was widely ridiculed, raising questions about the impact on the VR field.

2015: Shared Living and Casual Lifestyle

In 2015, a Forbes article mentioned that Palmer Luckey lived in a shared house with others where they played multiplayer videogames and wore casual clothes like shorts, T-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, and sandals.

September 2016: Donation to Nimble America and Apology

In September 2016, Palmer Luckey donated $10,000 to Nimble America and offered to match further contributions from r/The_Donald users. He later apologized for the negative impact on Oculus and its partners, stating he acted independently. The Wall Street Journal reported that Luckey had been pressured into making this statement as a condition of employment.

September 2016: Political Affiliations

In September 2016, Palmer Luckey stated he is a libertarian who had supported Ron Paul and Gary Johnson. Since then, he has become a prominent fundraiser for the Republican Party and Donald Trump.

September 2016: Donation to Nimble America and Resulting Developer Backlash

In September 2016, it was reported that Palmer Luckey had donated $10,000 to Nimble America, a pro-Donald Trump group. This caused some game developers to temporarily cancel support for Oculus, although some later reversed their positions.

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.

February 2, 2017: Jury Trial Verdict

On February 2, 2017, a jury found Palmer Luckey had violated a non-disclosure agreement with ZeniMax, but awarded zero damages. While Luckey and others were found not to have misappropriated trade secrets, they were collectively ordered to pay $500 million for copyright infringement related to the Oculus Rift's marketing, with Luckey personally responsible for $50 million.

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.

2017: Speculation on Silicon Valley Character Based on Luckey

In 2017, some speculated that the character Keenan Feldspar on the HBO show Silicon Valley was based on Palmer Luckey due to similarities in their backgrounds and attire.

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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.

June 2018: Reduction of Damages in ZeniMax Case

In June 2018, the judge overseeing the case dismissed all damages owed by Palmer Luckey and reduced the amount owed by other parties to $250 million.

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.

2019: Marriage to Nicole Edelmann

In 2019, Palmer Luckey married Nicole Edelmann and now they have a child, living in Lido Isle, Newport Beach.

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.

October 2020: Fundraiser for Donald Trump

In October 2020, Palmer Luckey hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump at his home in Newport Beach, with tickets ranging from $2,800 to $150,000 per couple. There were gatherings both for and against President Trump outside during the event.

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.

2024: Propaganda Statement

During a 2024 speaking event at Pepperdine University, Luckey said "I’m a propagandist, I’ll twist the truth, I’ll put forward only my version of it if I think that’s going to propagandize people to believe what I need them to believe."

2024: "Radical Zionist" Description

In a 2024 interview, Palmer Luckey described himself as a "radical Zionist" in relation to his support for Israel's right to maintain their own country. He views the events of World War II as justification for an ethnic state despite normal objections to racially defined states.