Oculus cofounder Palmer Luckey out at Facebook
Oculus cofounder Palmer Luckey is leaving Facebook.
The company confirmed his departure in a statement, saying the 24-year-old Oculus creator "will be dearly missed."
“Palmer will be dearly missed. Palmer’s legacy extends far beyond Oculus. His inventive spirit helped kickstart the modern VR revolution and helped build an industry. We’re thankful for everything he did for Oculus and VR, and we wish him all the best.”
Luckey previously came under fire for his controversial political opinions after the Daily Beast reported he had helped fund a pro-Donald Trump group called Nimble America. Luckey denied his involvement and Facebook and Oculus had defended him. Still, the controversy caused a backlash resulting in several developers pledging to stop creating games for Oculus.
Neither Luckey or Facebook have given a reason for the departure. It comes nearly a year to the day after Oculus' commercial release so it's possible the departure had been planned for awhile. It's also just a few months after Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe stepped down from his role, though he is still at Facebook leading the PC VR group, so it could be part of a bigger reorganization. Iribe said he was helping with the search for his replacement but Facebook hasn't commented on who might fill the CEO role.
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
