Meta Partners with Former Oculus Founder’s Company to Develop Advanced AR and VR Systems for US Military

Okay, so picture this: Palmer Luckey — you know, the guy who kicked off Oculus back in 2012 — is now deep in cahoots with Meta, the stealthy new face of Facebook. And, oh boy, are they cooking up something wild. Buckle up, because they’re all about crafting these top-notch AR and VR gizmos for the U.S. military. Yeah, you heard it, going full-on military tech vibes here.

Let’s rewind a bit. Oculus, in its heyday, was all the rage and grabbed the big ol’ eyeballs of Facebook (now Meta, trying to sound, uh, futuristic, I guess?). They snapped it up in 2014, throwing a cool $2 billion on the table. But Luckey’s ride with Meta hit some potholes. Dude got shown the door, thanks (or no thanks) to his politics causing a ruckus.

So, what’s a tech genius to do? Luckey rolled up his sleeves and birthed Anduril, a defense tech startup that’s skyrocketed in the value game. Not too surprising, the company is churning out XR tech, drones, sensors — you name it. They even swooped in on Microsoft’s wobbly IVAS program (trying to whip up AR helmets for the Army) and took control. Why? No clue, maybe they were just bored.

Here’s the kicker: Anduril’s now buddy-buddy with Meta, working on chatty, high-tech helmets for soldiers. Something about turning soldiers into “technomancers” — whatever that conjures up. Luckey’s all jazzed about mixing commercial tech with military know-how without taxpayer dough. Fancy that!

Jumping over to the Meta gang — yep, Zuck and his tech crew, who weren’t exactly BFFs with Luckey post-Meta drama, are now singing Kumbaya. They’re all smiles, snapshots, and rehearsed quotes, making it look like the old squad’s back in town.

Bottom line? They’re doubling down on these AR helmets, hoping to make the military’s gear feel less Iron Man wannabe and more like, “Well, I saw this coming.” It’s a big bumpy road ahead — loaded with tech dreams and, maybe, a few meme-worthy moments.