Embattled Luckey leaving Facebook
Socialmedia company mum on reason for departure of controversial tech mogul
Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Facebook-owned virtual reality company Oculus, is leaving the tech firm.
The 24-year-old tech mogul, who created a prototype of the Oculus Rift headset in his parents’ garage, has been embroiled in controversy since Facebook purchased the virtual reality company.
Facebook on Thursday confirmed Luckey’s departure. A spokesperson declined to say why Luckey was leaving the company, however, noting that they don’t comment on person-
nel matters.
“Palmer will be dearly missed. Palmer’s legacy extends far beyond Oculus. His inventive spirit helped kickstart the modern VR revolution and build an industry. We’re thankful for everything he did for Oculus and VR, and we wish him all the best,” the Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.
It’s always tough when a founder leaves a company because that person had the original vision for the product, said Brian Blau, an analyst at Gartner.
“Oculus is becoming a major part of Facebook; they’re really trying to be an industry leader and they need strong people at the helm,” Blau said. “And I’m not saying Luckey couldn’t be (that), but oftentimes founders can’t fit into that role.”
Last year, some developers criticized Luckey for funding Nimble America, a political organization that supported Donald Trump while he ran for president.
In February, Facebook-owned Oculus was ordered to pay $500 million after losing a lawsuit against game-development firm ZeniMax, which alleged that the virtual reality headset was created with stolen technology. A Texas jury found that Luckey failed to comply with a nondisclosure agreement and the company infringed on copyright.
Facebook purchased Oculus for about $2 billion in 2014. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has talked about a future in which VR will enable people to experience moments with friends and family as if they’re really there in person.
But Oculus has faced some challenges as it competes with similar products, including the HTC Vive and the PlayStation VR. Oculus delayed the shipment of its Rift headsets, which sell for $599. The tech firm also postponed the release of its highly anticipated $199 Touch hand controllers.
Luckey’s departure is the latest leadership shakeup at Facebook-owned Oculus.
In December, Oculus CEO and co-founder Brendan Iribe announced he was stepping down from the position to head a new division within the company focused on virtual reality for personal computers.
Facebook then hired Hugo Barra, who left a job at Chinese phone maker Xiaomi to lead the tech firm’s virtual reality efforts, including the Oculus team.