Meta Platforms Inc., the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has announced a partnership with defense technology startup Anduril Industries. Their joint mission? To develop mixed reality gear designed to help soldiers control autonomous systems on the battlefield.
According to a joint statement, Meta will integrate its augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies – likely in the form of glasses, goggles, or visors – with Anduril’s data analytics platform called Lattice.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed pride in the collaboration, stating, “Meta has spent the last decade building AI and AR to enable the computing platform of the future. We’re proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad.”
This partnership comes amidst a notable political shift for Zuckerberg, who has reportedly been courting the Trump administration since the former president’s return to the White House.
This has included frequent visits and changes to corporate policies, particularly concerning content moderation, aligning Meta more closely with the Republican administration. Zuckerberg also recently acquired a $23 million residence in the US capital, further cementing his presence in Washington. The alliance with Anduril marks Meta’s direct involvement in courting the U.S. military.
Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, who famously co-founded Oculus (the virtual reality startup acquired by Facebook in 2014), welcomed the renewed collaboration. “My mission has long been to turn warfighters into technomancers, and the products we are building with Meta do just that,” Luckey stated, referring to the idea of combining magic and technology.
Luckey’s departure from Facebook in 2017 followed a lawsuit over Oculus Rift technology and criticism for covertly assisting an online “troll” group that promoted pro-Trump memes during the 2016 US election.
His open support for Trump was a rarity in Silicon Valley at the time, leading some developers to boycott creating software for Oculus Rift. Luckey later went on to co-found California-based Anduril.
Anduril describes its Lattice platform as an AI-powered command and control system designed to integrate vast amounts of data, providing real-time battlefield intelligence for crucial decision-making.
This partnership is seen as part of a broader trend where major tech companies are increasingly aligning with Washington, especially as the Trump administration pushes its “America First” agenda.
Leading this display of nationalism are companies like Meta, OpenAI, and predictably, Palantir – the AI defense company founded by conservative tech billionaire Peter Thiel, who has significantly influenced Silicon Valley’s shift towards the right.
Meta has actively promoted its AI models as “essential for the US to win the AI race against China and ensure American AI dominance.”
