Why read this: "Why we aren't so lucky with Palmer Luckey"
Palmer Luckey once inspired the world by pioneering peaceful VR with Oculus, then pivoted to building autonomous weapons for the defense industry. This article challenges the seductive myth that remote drones make war “safer,” arguing instead that true progress lies in education, empathy, and global sharing rather than endless competition and conflict. It delivers a passionate call to reject the “belligerent Luckey” path and become connectors and peacetime innovators. Read it to confront an uncomfortable truth about tech heroes and discover why investing in understanding each other is the only real way forward.
In the early years of Oculus, I was a big fan of its founder, Palmer Luckey. He was a hero to me. He did something others didn’t: he worked on a virtual reality headset. It was a peaceful and revolutionary technology.
All fine, you might say, but here is the downside. After he left his ‘first baby,’ which was then owned by Facebook (the former name of Meta), he threw himself into something I would call a dark business: the defense industry in autonomous and remotely controlled weapons.
Perhaps you see a positive side to this. The soldier is safe at a distance, while he controls and directs the drones. No casualties in wars, how fantastic?!
Don’t judge too quickly! Such wars shouldn’t exist at all. After all, wars only produce victims. Instead of wasting money on a war industry, you would be better off investing that money in education. To begin with, learn about the differences in cultures, ideas, visions, and people.
Education in communication skills, empathy, and understanding. Wars start with greed for resources and an unwillingness to share them across the globe. Wars arise from language differences, a lack of understanding and empathy.
As long as we view the world as a competition to be the strongest and most powerful, as long as we want more and more, we will need people, just like Luckey, and a planet B.
We must see each other as global citizens and equals, constantly striving to find a balance in sharing resources. We must continuously improve our communication skills and learn to know the other person.
Don’t be a belligerent Luckey, but a connector, a communicator, an innovator in peacetime! Once we all realize that, we will focus our energy on the right things.
Thanks for reading, I love you!
About Dirk Jan Buter
I am a software developer, programmer, and the founder of Yvonta, based in Zwolle, The Netherlands. With a deep passion for low-level systems, custom software architecture, and the evolving intersection of AI and human digital persistence, I spend my time building specialized tools and exploring the technical and philosophical boundaries of digital autonomy.
Writing and publishing are central to my work, but navigating them comes with a unique challenge: I live with dyslexia. To bridge the gap between complex architectural ideas and clear communication, I use AI as an active co-writer and editorial partner. This collaboration allows me to focus fully on the core concepts, logic, and perspective of my writing, ensuring my technical insights and independent editorial projects are shared with clarity and precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
16 questions
Palmer Luckey is the founder of Oculus, the virtual reality headset company. The author initially viewed him as a hero for developing peaceful and revolutionary VR technology in its early years.
The author was a big fan and considered Luckey a personal hero for creating Oculus VR. This admiration stemmed from Luckey's focus on a peaceful, innovative technology that others had not pursued.
Oculus became owned by Facebook, later known as Meta. Luckey eventually left the company, which he referred to as his 'first baby,' to pursue other ventures.
Luckey moved into the defense industry, focusing on autonomous and remotely controlled weapons. The author describes this shift as entering a 'dark business' compared to his earlier VR work.
The author argues that such technologies enable wars by keeping soldiers safe at a distance while still causing victims. Wars should not exist at all, and resources would be better spent on education and empathy rather than weapons.
The article notes that soldiers can control drones from a safe distance, potentially avoiding direct casualties on one side. However, it immediately counters that this does not justify the existence of wars.
Money should go toward education on cultural differences, ideas, visions, and communication skills. This includes building empathy and understanding among people globally.
Wars arise from greed for resources, unwillingness to share them, language differences, and a lack of understanding and empathy. The author ties this to viewing the world as a competition for power rather than equality.
It refers to the idea that humanity might need an alternative planet if current competitive and war-driven behaviors continue destroying Earth. The author contrasts this with striving for balance and peace on our current world.
We should see each other as global citizens and equals. This mindset involves sharing resources fairly and continuously improving communication to avoid conflict.
Key skills include empathy, understanding, communication, and learning about other cultures and people. The author believes these reduce the conditions that lead to conflict.
People should become connectors, communicators, and innovators focused on peacetime efforts. This shifts energy away from belligerent defense work toward global balance and understanding.
Such weapons may reduce soldier deaths but still produce victims and perpetuate unnecessary wars. The author insists resources are better directed at education and empathy to address root causes of conflict.
It plays on Luckey's name to express disappointment in his shift from peaceful VR innovation to defense technology. The author no longer sees him as a hero due to this career change.
The author ends by urging readers to focus energy on the right things like peace and connection, then signs off with 'Thanks for reading, I love you!'
As long as the world is seen as a competition to be the strongest and most powerful, figures like Luckey in defense will be needed. The author calls for rejecting this view in favor of equality and resource sharing.
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