Anduril Closes In on Boeing as Orange County Defense Industry Booms

Anduril Industries is rapidly expanding its workforce in Orange County, closing in on Boeing's employee count. According to data from the Orange County Business Journal, Anduril added 56% more employees over the past year, reaching a total of 4,986 in the county.

This growth puts Anduril just behind Boeing, which still holds the top spot with 5,035 local employees. However, Boeing's count has declined by nearly 5% since last year due to layoffs.

Anduril's CEO Palmer Luckey is leading the charge to revolutionize US weapons production, aiming to build 1,000 units per day rather than taking a decade to produce just that many. The company is reportedly exploring a financial boost to increase its valuation from $61 billion to $100 billion.

Other aerospace and defense companies in Orange County have also seen growth, including Terran Orbital, which added nearly 6% more employees, and Turion Space, which saw a 58% increase in its workforce.