Foundry is a premium business intelligence publication featuring 551 articles from the best founders and investors. Topics cover leadership, strategy, fundraising, growth, AI, and more.

What topics does Foundry cover?

Foundry covers leadership, investing, AI and technology, product development, founder stories, mindset and career, marketing, hiring, fundraising, strategy, and more. Articles feature insights from founders like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, and Jensen Huang.

Can I submit a story to Foundry?

Yes. You can submit a story at thefoundrybrief.com/submit. Foundry publishes articles featuring insights from founders and investors across all industries.

Palmer Luckey: If Your Boss Says They Don't Care About Money, Run.

By Palmer Luckey · Leadership · 1 min read

The Silicon Valley thing is you have to pretend you don't like money. Luckey tells his own employees at onboarding — if your boss is saying that, you should be worried.

Key Points

If your boss tells employees money isn't the priority, you should be concerned
One of his proudest achievements: everyone who worked at Oculus achieved financial independence
Oculus was passion. Anduril was obligation — he felt like he had to do it or things would go poorly.

If your employees don't believe that at the end of the day you're trying to make their job a fiscally responsible decision — you should be concerned.

The Silicon Valley Money Lie

Interviewer: The Silicon Valley thing is you have to pretend you don't like money.

Luckey: I tell my own employees at onboarding — if you work at a place where your boss is saying that, you should be worried. It's one thing to say that to the press or in marketing materials. But if your employees don't believe that at the end of the day you're trying to make their job a fiscally responsible decision — if you're effectively telling them you could be making more money elsewhere and your financial success is not my priority — you should be concerned.

If your boss says money doesn't matter, you should be worried. That's what I tell new hires at onboarding.

Everyone at Oculus Achieved Financial Independence

Luckey: When I started Oculus, it was not because I thought it would make the most money. There had never been a successful VR company in history. I did it because it was something I was really passionate about.

Now — one of the things I'm most proud of in my whole career is that everyone who worked at Oculus achieved financial independence. We were able to build something incredible. I feel great that everyone who was part of that mission and who supported me early on was able to make a bunch of money. A lot of them have gone on to do incredible things.

Everyone who worked at Oculus achieved financial independence. That's one of the things I'm most proud of.

Anduril Was Different

Luckey: Oculus was not done because I thought it was the best way to make money. It's because I thought it was going to be the best way to change the world in the long run.

Anduril was a little different. It wasn't just 'oh, this will be fun, I want to do something really cool.' Anduril was — I felt like I had to do it or things were going to go really poorly. More of a stick than a carrot on that one.

Oculus was passion. Anduril was — I felt like I had to do it or things were going to go really poorly.