- Security & Defense
- International Affairs
- Military
- History
- Science & Technology
- Determining America's Role in the World
- Understanding the Effects of Technology on Economics and Governance
Why is America struggling to keep pace with China? Can Silicon Valley help rebuild US military power? And what happens when artificial intelligence transforms warfare? Anduril founder and CEO Palmer Luckey joins Peter Robinson to argue that America must rethink everything from defense procurement to manufacturing, innovation, and national identity itself. Luckey explains why he founded Anduril Industries after selling Oculus to Facebook, why he believes the US has become dangerously dependent on China, and how autonomous weapons, AI fighter jets, and drone warfare are reshaping the future battlefield. Luckey also takes aim at Pentagon bureaucracy, Silicon Valley globalism, America’s hollowed-out industrial base, and what he calls the “national divorce” between tech and national security. It’s a provocative discussion about patriotism, innovation, deterrence, and whether the United States still has what it takes to defend itself in a rapidly changing world.
Recorded on May 7, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Palmer Luckey is an American inventor, innovator, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of defense technology company Anduril Industries and designer of the virtual reality headset, Oculus Rift.
Palmer founded Anduril Industries in 2017 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 USC ICT MxR lab, where he built hardware used to research immersive PTSD treatment for US veterans. He continued to support various military applications of VR during his time at Oculus Rift, informing his belief that radical modernization of US 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.
Peter M. Robinson is the Murdoch Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he writes about business and politics and hosts Hoover's video series program Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson. Robinson spent six years in the White House, serving from 1982 to 1983 as chief speechwriter to Vice President George H. W. Bush and from 1983 to 1988 as special assistant and speechwriter to President Ronald Reagan. He wrote the historic Berlin Wall address in which President Reagan called on General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall!”
