Oculus founder Palmer Luckey is talking with Steve Bannon and Peter Thiel about building a virtual border wall
"We are spending more than ever on defense technology," Luckey said in a statement to The New York Times, "yet the pace of innovation has been slowing for decades. We need a new kind of defense company, one that will save taxpayer dollars while creating superior technology to keep our troops and citizens safer."
The new company is working on cameras that can be mounted on telephone poles, and it has the potential to be used on US borders.
Luckey sold Oculus, the virtual reality company he cofounded in 2012, to Facebook for $2.3 billion (£1.7 billion) in 2014.
But Luckey left Facebook in March after months of disquiet inside the company. His departure followed reports that Luckey helped fund an organization that helped to create memes that opposed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Now, Luckey is reportedly working to develop surveillance technology that can help to detect things like drones. The New York Times says that Luckey's new, unnamed startup will use similar technology to the lidar devices found in self-driving cars to detect potential threats.
Right now, Luckey is reportedly self-funding his new company, but Trump advisor Peter Thiel's venture capital firm Founders Fund is planning to invest, according to The New York Times. Luckey has also met with Steve Bannon about the idea, according to the Times.
The news of Luckey's new startup follows a May report from Gizmodo that Luckey met with US secretary of the interior Ryan Zinke to discuss "Border Wall building plans."
"The Secretary had a brief meeting where he listened to their ideas about using technology on the border and referred the gentlemen to the Department of Homeland Security," a representative for Zinke told Gizmodo last month.
- Singapore seeing new COVID-19 wave, minister advises wearing of masks
- Impact Player rule has disrupted balance of game: Virat Kohli
- Markets end special trading session with gains
- Nepal bans sale of Indian spice-mix products over quality concerns
- IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma receives special medal for his fantastic performance against LSG
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market