Palmer Luckey is funding a pro-Trump "shitposting" group
Nimble America's anti-Clinton campaign is being secretly bankrolled by Oculus VR's founder
Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey is providing financial support to a pro-Trump online group focused on "shitposting" and spreading memes attacking Hillary Clinton.
Luckey confirmed his involvement with the "Nimble America" group to The Daily Beast. Nimble America describes itself as a "social welfare 501(c)4 non-profit dedicated to shitposting in real life." The group emerged from Reddit to state the clear ambition of influencing the outcome of the next US presidential election.
"What we've been able to accomplish here has been amazing and much bigger than any of us and certainly much bigger than Reddit," the group said in a statement. "We've proven that shitposting is powerful and meme magic is real."
"I've got plenty of money. Money is not my issue. I thought it sounded like a real jolly good time"
Contributions from Luckey's estimated $700 million fortune have played an important role in Nimble America's rise. Luckey told The Daily Beast that he is "the money man" - albeit a money man who the group claims as its vice president.
Nimble America has taken credit for a billboard in Pittsburgh that displayed a "cartoonishly large" image of Hillary Clinton's face alongside the slogan, "Too Big to Jail." This caustic tone appears to be what attracted Luckey to the group's cause. "It's something that no campaign is going to run," he said, adding, "I've got plenty of money. Money is not my issue. I thought it sounded like a real jolly good time."
Luckey first met the group's co-founders - two moderators of r/The_Donald on Reddit - over Facebook. "It went along the lines of 'hey, I have a bunch of money. I would love to see more of this stuff,'" he said, a reference to the memes they had already generated prior to Nimble America's official launch. "They wanted to build buzz and do fundraising."
Luckey has confirmed that he posts on Reddit under the (now deleted) "NimbleRichMan" account. According to a statement published under that pseudonym - sourced by VR developer Cody Brown - Luckey has donated "significant funds" to Nimble America, and pledged to continue to do so.
This is a message from @PalmerLuckey, the founder of @Oculus. pic.twitter.com/CWlAA8ugMx
— codyb (@CodyBrown) September 23, 2016
I'm attempting to remain open-minded until we hear how Luckey reacts though.
Shitposting? Is the word they're using to describe there work? Just uncanny - this article doesn't even seem real, it reads like an Onion article trying to make Palmer look like some kind of immature-political-frat-bro.
It's great to question sources, and I'd love to see a statement from Luckey. But my first impression is yep, Luckey is a Trump supporter, and if (!) that post is real, an arrogant and unpleasant arsehole too.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Greg Wilcox on 23rd September 2016 5:03pm
Three legal actions, numerous claims regarding ownership and patent control - and questions on the honesty of the operation, and the way they have carried out business. The pedestal seems about to be kicked from the 'rags to riches' story of Oculus VR. All now rests on how Facebook will defend these allegations before they impact share dealing in the whole operation.
This is not a time for silence!
Edited 1 times. Last edit by kevin williams on 23rd September 2016 5:32pm
A particular form of hubris this type is prone to, is imagining that they somehow "did it all themselves" and that all their success is due to their "unique and special gifts."
I am sad to see this hubris so clearly manifesting in Mr. Luckey. He is not a "great individual success", his success was made by a *community* of people willing to get behind him and back his vision. He seems to have forgotten that and, as one of those faithful community members, I am severely disappointed in him.
If I could tell him one thing, it would be a classic film industry adage: "Be generous to people on your way up, because you will be meeting the same people on your way back down."
With that 700 million and change that Palmer received from the Oculus sale, one would think he had more philantropical hobbies....
Other than that, not sure if anything will come out of it. Remember Peter Thiel who sits on the board of Facebook and spoke at the RNC earlier this year?
Not qualifications.
The winner is based on Electoral College votes. Not popular votes.