Pepperdine University President Awards Palmer Luckey the President’s Award for Excellence in Freedom

Today, Pepperdine University President Jim Gash presented Palmer Luckey, the visionary entrepreneur behind Oculus and Anduril Industries, with the President's Award for Excellence in Freedom. Gash presented the award during Luckey's appearance before an audience of 400 at the President's Speaker Series in Smothers Theatre at the University's campus in Malibu. 

"Palmer, you have been a great defender of American values, and of freedom specifically, with not only your words but your actions," Gash said as he gave Luckey the award. "We would all like to thank you for your immense efforts in ensuring-through unmatched innovation in defense technology-that ours is not the generation that sees freedom go extinct."

Luckey stressed purpose as central to his work with Anduril.

"We're not just trying to build cool stuff," he said. "We're doing it for a greater purpose, and we need to always remember that."

"We are not a neutral company," he went on. "We are taking sides. We are going to fight for the things that our country values, for the things that our allies around the world have in common. We are going to be building things for good."

President Gash opened the conversation with a question about Luckey's work in the early days of Oculus, inventing the first Rift prototype at age 19 from a trailer in his parents' driveway.

Luckey explained how he created the VR experience with Oculus by thinking ahead.

"I represent the 'outside the system' guy," said Luckey. "I'm not going to work on the thing that's here and now. I'm going to work on where I think it's going."

Gash asked Luckey about his journey into defense technology with Anduril Industries.

Luckey said he intended to "not just build a new company but rebuild what we used to have in this country as far as a national security capability."

Switching topics, Gash asked Luckey about his 17-year side project, the ModRetro Chromatic portable gaming device, a clone of the Nintendo Game Boy Color that will be sold exclusively by GameStop.

"It's manufactured in North America which is good because Anduril and I are both sanctioned by China and Russia," quipped Luckey.

"Do you fear the power of AI?" Gash asked Luckey on behalf of a student.

"I fear people using AI for bad purposes," said Luckey. "I'm not worried about more advanced AI being the problem. I'm worried about dumb AI being used by evil people."

When asked about his greatest influence, Luckey mentioned Howard Hughes and Walt Disney because they were "huge supporters of the nation and built things on their own dime that the government didn't think was possible."

A student in the audience asked for Luckey's advice on how to break into the defense industry. Luckey replied, "Work in a place where you will learn a variety of generally applicable skills to the real world."

Before presenting Luckey with Pepperdine's first Presidential Award for Excellence in Freedom, Gash asked Luckey what freedom means to him.

"Freedom is self-determination," said Luckey, and stressed that it is vital at every level of society.

Gash invited the audience to the next President's Speaker Series Oct. 31 at 4 PM, which will feature a conversation with Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Rick Caruso, Pepperdine Law School alumnus, and for whom the law school is named.

"At Pepperdine, we talk about things that matter," said Gash. "This is a place where we relentlessly seek truth together."

About 400 members of the Pepperdine community and friends of the university attended the event in Pepperdine's Smothers Theatre in Malibu. The event was also live-streamed on the University's YouTube and X accounts.

Pepperdine University's President's Speaker Series welcomes distinguished scholars and thought leaders representing diverse points of view to examine topics and issues facing our communities and the world today. Driven by a desire to connect deeply with our community and inspire meaningful dialogue in the pursuit of truth, the series provides opportunities to cultivate an engaged and impassioned collective through civil discourse.

 

 

Tags : Pepperdine University President Pepperdine University jim gash Palmer Luckey