Anduril vs. Jason Calacanis: Palmer Luckey posts Epstein black book entry, team piles on
Feb 28, 2025
Key Points
- Palmer Luckey and Matt Grimm, co-founders of defense contractor Anduril, posted Jeffrey Epstein's decades-old black book on social media to attack investor Jason Calacanis, whose name appears among hundreds of contacts.
- Calacanis denied wrongdoing and claimed the accompanying photo was doctored, but observers confirmed the image came from public records and aligned with his acknowledged acquaintance with Epstein.
- The conflict reflects a personal dispute rather than substantive allegations, with no reporting that Calacanis was involved in criminal activity related to Epstein.
Summary
Palmer Luckey and Anduril take a swing at Jason Calacanis over Epstein black book entry
Palmer Luckey, co-founder of defense contractor Anduril, posted a photograph of Jeffrey Epstein's black book on social media this week, with Jason Calacanis's name and phone numbers visible. The post arrived amid renewed reporting on Epstein-related documents, though the black book itself has been public for over a decade and contains hundreds of names, many of them simply people who had contact with Epstein at some point.
Luckey's co-founder Matt Grimm piled on, quote-tweeting Calacanis with a photo and the caption: "This is the face you make when your weekend just got a little bit more complicated. We see you, Jason."
Calacanis fired back, claiming the photo was doctored and that it was roughly twice his actual weight. He said in his response: "Matt knows full well that I wasn't [involved with Epstein], that I've said I wasn't, and that there is no news here." He pointed out that thousands of tech finance and New York figures appear in the black book simply for having met Epstein.
However, users in the segment noted the photo appears authentic—sourced from public records—and that Calacanis himself has been public about weight fluctuations tied to his use of Ozempic. The hosts acknowledged that while the black book entry does not make Calacanis "look good," it is consistent with what is publicly known: that he and Epstein knew each other, but there is no reporting that he was involved in criminal activity.
The hosts expressed frustration with the conflict between the two figures and suggested Calacanis apologize to Luckey and "clean up the relationship." They also noted that Calacanis still does not run ads on his podcast "All In," which one host half-jokingly suggested might have been Epstein's "final wish," and speculated that running ads for Anduril could be a path to reconciliation.