Anduril Has Invented A Wild New Drone-Flying Contest Where Jobs Are The Prize

AI Grand Prix offers $500K prizes and Anduril jobs for engineers who program self-flying racing drones without human pilots.
Matilda
Anduril Has Invented A Wild New Drone-Flying Contest Where Jobs Are The Prize
What is the AI Grand Prix? It's Anduril Industries' groundbreaking autonomous drone competition where engineers—not pilots—compete by coding AI that flies drones through high-speed obstacle courses. Created by founder Palmer Luckey, the contest awards a $500,000 prize pool and fast-tracked job offers at the defense technology leader, bypassing traditional hiring processes entirely. Unlike conventional drone races controlled by human operators, every maneuver here is executed by machine intelligence alone. Credit: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP / Getty Images Why Autonomy Changed Everything for Drone Racing Palmer Luckey's eyes sparkled with intensity as he explained the genesis of the AI Grand Prix. During a routine recruitment strategy meeting, his team floated the idea of sponsoring an existing drone-racing tournament—a logical extension of Anduril's marketing playbook, which already includes major motorsports partnerships. But Luckey immediately pushed back. "That would mis…