Why do they have to ruin The Lord of the Rings?

While most of us enjoy J. R. R. Tolkien’s seminal fantasy epic for its storytelling and rich mythology, the book has for years been claimed by the libertarian right based on its supposedly limited-government vision. Among this crowd is tech billionaire and aspiring vampire Peter Thiel, who has made a habit of comically misusing the series to name his ventures, including Palantir Technologies, the private surveillance firm named for the magical seeing stones that happen to warp and debase those who use them.

Spun out of this network is Anduril Industries, a defense company named for the sword wielded by Aragorn as he led the Army of the West against the armies of Sauron. Elvish for “flame of the West,” it’s a (for once) apt name for a Thiel-funded firm. That’s not because it “represents not just the best technology that Western democracy has to offer, but also the best ethics,” as its founder, thirty-one-year-old Oculus Rift inventor Palmer Luckey, has claimed. It’s because, since its founding in 2017, Anduril’s core business strategy has been bear-hugging the Blob as it barrels toward great-power conflict with China.