Oculus Founder: I flirt with the idea that smart TVs should be illegal

@startup__academy

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ModRetro

Why it worked

The video likely performed well due to the controversial and contrarian stance on smart TVs, combined with the speaker's established reputation as the founder of Oculus. The mention of a niche product (modern CRT displays) also appeals to a specific audience interested in retro technology.

Summary

Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus, expresses his libertarian views while discussing his disdain for smart TVs and the potential for his company, ModRetro, to create modern CRT displays. He argues that smart TVs create bad incentives for manufacturers and that a simpler, plug-and-play display would be a novel and valuable product.

Structure

1Introduction of libertarian views and dislike for smart TVs
2Critique of smart TV business models and incentives
3Discussion of ModRetro's potential to create modern CRT displays
4Highlighting the unique benefits and novelty of a simple, non-smart TV

Product placement

Palmer Luckey mentions his company ModRetro and their potential to create a modern CRT display.

On-screen text

Oculus Founder: I flirt with the idea that smart TVs should be illegal TBPN 10/21/25 ramp PALMER LUCKEY LIVE ON TBP Founder of ModRetro & Anduril | @PalmerLuckey I KNOW I'M A LIBERTARIAN AND IM NOT SUPPOSED TO LIKE REGULATION BUT I SOMETIMES FLIRT WITH THE IDEA THAT SMART TVS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL I HATE SMART TVS SO MUTCH THEYRE SO BAD SEE YOURE CLAPPING BECAUSE EVERYONE AGREES EVERYONE AGREES THIS IS THE DANGER OF BEING A LIBERTARIAN YOU REALIZE YOU CAN JUST ADOPT POPULIST PRO STATE DISPOSITIONS AND YOU CAN GET VOTERS ITS LIKE OH WERE LIBERTARIAN EXCEPT FOR THIS THING THAT YOU HATE WERE GONNA REGULATE BACK YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH TOTAL CONTROL I WOULD TRUST YOU EXACTLY YOURE NOT LIKE THE OTHER ONES SMART TVS CREATE A LOT OF THESE SAME BAD INCENTIVES WHERE YOU HAVE THE HARDWARE MANUFACTURER NOT JUST TRYING TO BUILD A GOOD TV A GOOD SCREEN GOOD VISUAL TECHNOLOGY THEYRE NOW DIPPING THEIR TOE INTO WELL I ACTUALLY NEED TO BE A SERVICES COMPANY I NEED TO BE A SOFTWARE PLATFORM COMPANY I NEED TO RUN AN APP STORE AND ITS A PRISONERS DILEMMA IF YOU DONT DO THOSE THINGS AND IF YOU DONT INTRODUCE ADVERTISING INTO YOUR TV FEEDS AND IF YOU DONT HAVE A LOCK SCREEN THATS SHOWING ADS ON YOUR TV HOW HOW COULD YOU COMPETE WITH THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WHO CHARGE JUST A FEW DOLLARS LESS BUT I THINK THAT THERES VALUE IN SAYING HEY ONE OF THE THINGS MOD RETRO IS LOOKING AT DOING IS DOING A MODERN CRT DISPLAY AND PART OF THE VALUE THERE IS BUILDING SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY HAS ALL THOSE COOL ATTRIBUTES OF A CRT ESPECIALLY WHEN YOURE WORKING WITH RETRO COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND RETRO CONSOLES THAT WERE DESIGNING THE ART AROUND THE PARTICULAR TECHNICALITIES OF HOW A CRT WORKS IN TERMS OF HAVING VERY HIGH MOTION CLARITY VERY VERY GOOD COLOR GAMUT RELYING ON THE PERSISTENCE OF THE PHOSPHORS TO ENABLE CERTAIN VISUAL EFFECTS CERTAIN BLENDING THAT HAPPENS ON CERTAIN THINGS DOING DISPLAY INTERLACING TECHNIQUES BUT IGNORING ALL THAT THERES ALSO JUST THE FACT THAT A TV THAT YOU CAN PLUG SOMETHING INTO AND IT JUST SHOWS WHAT YOU PLUGGED INTO IT IS AN INCREDIBLY NOVEL IDEA AND I THINK BRINGING IT BACK REMINDING PEOPLE OF THAT I WOULDNT BE SURPRISED TO SEE MOD RETRO MAKE A TOTALLY MODERN TECHNOLOGY DISPLAY THAT IS JUST A TV THAT DOESNT FUCK YOU THATS IT

Original caption

Oculus Founder: I flirt with the idea that smart TVs should be illegal "I wouldn't be surprised to see ModRetro make a modern technology display." Palmer Luckey’s appearance on TBPN in October 2025

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Transcript

I know I'm a libertarian and I'm not supposed to like regulation. But I sometimes flirt with the idea that smart TVs should be illegal. I hate smart TVs so much. They're so bad. See, you're clapping because everyone agrees. Everyone agrees this is the danger of being a libertarian. You realize you can just adopt populist pro-state dispositions and you can get voters. It's like, oh, we're libertarian except for this thing that you hate. We're gonna regulate back. You can be trusted with total control. I would trust you. Exactly. You're not like the other ones. Smart TVs create a lot of these same bad incentives where you have the hardware manufacturer not just trying to build a good TV, a good screen, good visual technology. They're now dipping their toe into, well, I actually need to be a services company. I need to be a software platform company. I need to run an app store and it's a prisoner's dilemma. If you don't do those things and if you don't introduce advertising into your TV feeds and if you don't have a lock screen that's showing ads on your TV, how, how could you compete with the people who are who charge just a few dollars less. But I think that there's value in saying, hey, one of the things ModRetro is looking at doing is doing a modern CRT display. And part of the value there is building something that actually has all those cool attributes of a CRT, especially when you're working with retro computer systems and retro consoles that were designing the art around the particular technicalities of how a CRT works in terms of having very high motion clarity, very, very good color gamut, relying on the persistence of the phosphors to enable certain visual effects, certain blending that happens on certain things, doing display interlacing techniques. But ignoring all that, there's also just the fact that a TV that you can plug something into and it just shows what you plugged into it. It's an incredibly novel idea. And I think bringing it back, reminding people of that, I wouldn't be surprised to see ModRetro make a totally modern technology display. That is just a TV that doesn't fuck you. That's it.