Meta Partners with Former Oculus Founder’s Company to Develop Cutting-Edge AR and VR Systems for the US Military

Wow, okay—so here’s the scoop, or at least how I see it. Palmer Luckey, the guy who got kicked out of Meta for, you know, reasons, is back in the game. Big time. Anduril, his military tech startup that’s like a sci-fi novel come to life, just joined forces with Meta. Yeah, that Meta! They’re teaming up to make AR and VR goodies for the US military, promising to be the best thing since sliced bread.

I mean, remember Oculus? That was Luckey’s baby, launched in 2012 and grabbed by Facebook in 2014 for literally billions. Fast forward a bit, and Luckey got booted, but he bounced back hard, founding Anduril—which then zoomed to a hefty valuation itself. And here we are.

Anduril’s been poking around with XR tech and military toys like drones and sensors—makes my head spin just thinking about it. Anyway, in February, they decided to tackle Microsoft’s struggling Integrated Visual Thingamajig System, basically AR helmets for the Army. Wild, right?

Oh, there’s even a picture—they say a picture’s worth a thousand words, but honestly, it might just make you say, “Huh?” The helmet looks like something straight out of a futuristic adventure.

So now, Anduril and Meta claim they’re crafting some next-level gear to give soldiers superhero-like abilities. Their words, not mine. They’re even throwing around terms like “technomancers”—which sounds like they’re making a movie, not military gear.

Luckey’s thrilled, saying he’s jazzed to be working with Meta again. Curious, isn’t it? Zuckerberg and Bosworth from Meta, the guys who weren’t exactly Luckey’s BFFs after his exit, chimed in with their own quotes this time. Feels like everyone’s making nice and playing team.

Picture this: it’s all about developing the IVAS headset—a $20 billion (!) mission to equip soldiers with cool AR helmets. Originally, Microsoft took the reins, but they’ve dropped the baton and now Anduril’s running the show, with Meta tag-teaming. Makes me wonder, what’ll they cook up next? Or if it’ll even work. Seriously, isn’t tech exciting and confounding all at once?