Once Fired by Facebook, He Now Partners with Mark Zuckerberg to Build AI Weapons for the U.S. Military

In a stunning turn of events that underscores both the rapid evolution of the tech-defense complex and the ability of powerful players to reconcile when interests align, Palmer Luckey—once exiled from Facebook amid political controversy—has joined forces with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to develop cutting-edge military technology for the U.S. armed forces. The two former rivals, whose relationship fractured in 2016 under the weight of scandal and internal political turmoil, are now co-leading a project called “Eagle Eye,” a groundbreaking effort to bring AI-powered augmented reality to the battlefield.

The project’s emergence not only signals the healing of one of Silicon Valley’s most notorious personal rifts, but also serves as a potent symbol of Big Tech’s deepening involvement in defense.

The origin of this dramatic partnership traces back to a rupture in 2016, when Luckey—then a high-flying 24-year-old tech prodigy and founder of Oculus VR—was ousted from Facebook following reports that he had donated $10,000 to a pro-Trump political group that ran inflammatory billboards attacking Hillary Clinton. Though Facebook, now Meta, denied the firing was politically motivated, many insiders have since revealed a different picture.

John Carmack, former Oculus CTO, later said “hysterical internal employee pressure” led to Luckey’s dismissal and admitted regretting his silence at the time. Meta’s current CTO, Andrew Bosworth, conceded that politics had once heavily influenced the workplace environment, though he noted that “the culture has changed a lot” since.

The fallout culminated in a legal battle in which Luckey negotiated a severance package reported to exceed $100 million, citing violations of California labor law. Meta leadership remained largely silent in the aftermath, and the tech community was left to speculate whether political ideology had become a fault line for employment in Silicon Valley.

But nearly a decade later, that controversy has taken a back seat to a shared vision for the future of warfare—one where wearable tech, artificial intelligence, and real-time data converge to give American soldiers unmatched battlefield awareness.

“Eagle Eye,” the joint project between Meta and Anduril, the defense-tech company Luckey founded after leaving Facebook, aims to develop next-generation wearable systems for the military that integrate AR headsets, environmental sensors, and AI-driven threat detection. The objective is straightforward yet ambitious: give troops an unprecedented tactical advantage through instant data overlays that enhance perception, target identification, and decision-making.

The wearable devices, reminiscent of a hybrid between a combat helmet and a mixed-reality visor, are powered by Lattice—Anduril’s battlefield AI platform—and Llama, Meta’s proprietary AI model, originally developed for commercial applications.

Unlike traditional defense contracts bogged down in bureaucracy, Eagle Eye is being financed entirely by private capital, allowing Meta and Anduril to bypass federal red tape and deliver quickly to the battlefield. The decision to fund the project outside of the Pentagon’s procurement channels is not only a cost-saving measure but a declaration of independence from Washington’s often glacial acquisition processes.

Both companies see this approach as a strategic advantage in a global environment where agility and innovation are paramount.

Palmer Luckey’s rise post-Facebook has been nothing short of extraordinary. After his high-profile departure, he founded Anduril Industries, which quickly became a standout in the defense-tech sector by blending Silicon Valley’s startup ethos with the mission-critical needs of national security.

With clients including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, Anduril has deployed surveillance towers at the southern U.S. border and autonomous systems in overseas combat zones. As of 2025, the company is valued at $14 billion, and Luckey’s personal net worth is estimated at $2.3 billion.

Throughout this period, Luckey has remained politically outspoken, hosting fundraisers for Donald Trump in both 2020 and 2024, further cementing his image as an unorthodox figure within the liberal-leaning tech elite. His return to the Meta orbit via Eagle Eye is therefore not only unexpected but culturally significant. It suggests that pragmatism and national security concerns may be strong enough to override partisan divides, at least at the highest echelons of power.

Mark Zuckerberg’s public remarks about the partnership underscore this shift. In a rare statement for Tablet Magazine, he said of Luckey, “He’s an impressive free-thinker and fun to work with. I was sad when his time at Meta came to an end, but the silver lining is that his work at Anduril is going to be extremely important for our national security.”

The statement marks a dramatic softening in tone from a man who once presided over Luckey’s controversial exit, and it sends a clear signal: Zuckerberg sees defense as a vital new frontier for Meta, and Luckey as a key ally in navigating it.

The timing of the Eagle Eye project could not be more relevant. As geopolitical tensions with China, Russia, and rogue actors escalate, the U.S. military is pushing for rapid modernization. In 2024 alone, venture capital investment in defense startups hit a record $31 billion, reflecting a broader trend of private-sector involvement in military innovation.

Eagle Eye is at the center of this movement, offering a vision of warfare where soldiers are not just better equipped, but augmented—enabled by a constant stream of machine-generated insights.

This blending of commercial technology and military necessity raises ethical questions. Critics argue that allowing companies like Meta—already under scrutiny for privacy issues and algorithmic manipulation—to deploy battlefield technology could lead to unintended consequences.

The use of AI in combat scenarios, especially those involving autonomous or semi-autonomous decision-making, risks reducing human oversight in life-or-death situations. Questions remain about who controls the data, how targets are identified, and whether civilian technologies can ever be safely militarized.

Nonetheless, the momentum behind Eagle Eye is undeniable. For both Meta and Anduril, the project offers a chance to define the future of defense—and reap the financial and strategic rewards that come with it. For Zuckerberg, whose metaverse ambitions have been met with mixed reviews and investor skepticism, the pivot to national security could represent a long-term hedge and a reputational reset.

For Luckey, it is a vindication, a full-circle moment in which he not only reenters the tech elite but does so on his own terms, backed by success, capital, and purpose.

Their alliance is a reflection of a broader truth: the 21st-century battlefield is no longer just defined by boots on the ground or missiles in the air, but by lines of code, streams of data, and partnerships once thought impossible. As Palmer Luckey and Mark Zuckerberg bury the past in favor of a new vision for the future, they may also be laying the groundwork for a new era—one in which the rules of engagement are written not in Washington, but in Menlo Park and Irvine.

Whether this new alliance strengthens America’s military might or opens a Pandora’s box of unintended consequences is a question that only time—and perhaps history—will answer.