Palmer Luckey and the Future of American Power

Bari Weiss interviews Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus and Anduril Industries, about the state of American defense technology and his mission to disrupt the Pentagon's slow, bureaucratic procurement system. Luckey advocates for moving fast and building what works, drawing urgency from threats posed by Iran, Russia, China, and an accelerating AI arms race. He discusses his unconventional path—from VR startup at 19 to a $30.5 billion defense contractor—and argues that an outsider perspective is an advantage in an industry resistant to change. The conversation explores whether America retains the technological prowess and political will to compete with aggressive adversaries.