"Palmer Luckey and Peter Thiel have a longstanding professional and ideological partnership rooted in technology, entrepreneurship, and political alignment. Thiel, a prominent venture capitalist and co-founder of Palantir, has been a key financial backer of Luckey’s ventures, including Anduril Industries, a defense technology company co-founded by Luckey in 2017 with support from Thiel’s venture capital firm, Founders Fund.
Their collaboration extends to Erebor Bank, a crypto-focused financial institution Luckey is launching with backing from Thiel’s Founders Fund and Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC, aiming to fill the gap left by Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse in 2023.
Both share a fascination with J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, which has influenced the naming of their ventures. For instance, Anduril is named after Aragorn’s sword in The Lord of the Rings, while Erebor references the Lonely Mountain from The Hobbit.
Their ideological alignment also includes support for Donald Trump, with Luckey and Thiel being outspoken backers of his 2024 presidential campaign.
This political connection has strategic implications, particularly in navigating regulatory environments favorable to their business interests, such as the Trump administration’s openness to new bank charter applications.
Their collaboration reflects a broader trend of tech elites leveraging their wealth and influence to shape industries ranging from defense and virtual reality to finance and cryptocurrency, often with a focus on disrupting traditional systems and institutions."