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Palmer Luckey Built Anduril to Keep Elon Musk's Window to Mars Open

By Palmer Luckey · Strategy · 1 min read

Elon said there's a narrow window where it's possible to colonize other planets — and it will close. Luckey's view: building the tools that deter wars is what keeps that window open. Could we have gone to another planet while fighting World War II?

Key Points

Elon believes there's a narrow window for humanity to become multiplanetary — and it will close
Building tools that deter wars is what keeps that window open
Anduril's autonomous fighter jet Fury flies with F-35s and has China quaking in their boots

I'm keeping that window open — the window where we're not fighting major wars.

The Window

Interviewer: Elon is building humanity. You're doing the opposite. Does that concern you?

Luckey: I look at it fundamentally different. Elon said this great thing years ago — he believes we're in a narrow window where it's possible to colonize other planets. Only in the last 10 or 20 years has it become possible. And he thinks that window is limited and will close. His goal is to make humanity multiplanetary before it does.

There's a narrow window where colonizing other planets is possible. And it will close.

Keeping the Window Open

Luckey: The way I look at it — building the tools that deter wars are what keeps that window open. Could we have gone to another planet while fighting World War II? Could anybody have?

I'm keeping that window open. The window where we're not fighting major wars.

Could we have gone to another planet while fighting World War II? I'm keeping that window open.

Fury

Luckey: We're building this new jet called Fury. It's an autonomous fighter jet that flies with F-35s. It can fly ahead of them, carry way more weapons, push more aggressive tactics — because it's okay if they die.

That's the type of thing that has China quaking in their boots. They're like — crap, America now has this cheap weapon that can blow up my fighter jets. If I try to take over this area, they're going to wipe out my military. That's how I look at it.

Fury is an autonomous fighter jet. It's okay if they die. That has China quaking in their boots.