Silicon Valley billionaire flies coach out of solidarity: ‘If I’m going to ask my employees to do it, I need to do it, too’

In an industry known for private jets and lavish perks, Palmer Luckey, the 33-year-old billionaire founder of Oculus VR and the defense technology company Anduril, cuts a distinct figure. Despite a net worth built on a multibillion-dollar sale to Facebook (struck while he was still in his 20s) and a rapidly growing defense empire, Luckey can be found flying economy class, he told podcast hosts Sam Parr and Shaan Puri in 2022. His reasoning is rooted in a philosophy of leadership solidarity: “If I’m going to ask my employees to do it...