Founder of Oculus VR and Designer of the Oculus Rift headset, Palmer Luckey, has officially left Facebook, after being purchased by the social network giant for $2 billion in 2014, after only 3 years with the company. Facebook rocked the nation, or rather the world when it purchased Oculus back then, with co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg believing that virtual reality would be the next big computing platform after mobile, even before Oculus launched it’s first VR headset, the Oculus Rift.
His departure comes only two months after a trial in federal court over allegations that he and several of his colleagues had stolen trade secrets from video game publisher ZeniMax Media, to create the Oculus technology. The Judge ruled that Oculus had developed some of its code while John Carmack (one of the developers working with Oculus) was still employed by ZeniMax Media, using the publisher’s technology, and found them liable for $500 million in damages, of which Luckey himself was responsible for $50 million. This itself following outlash against the founder when he was found to be funding a group, called Nimble America, a pro-Trump political organization that promoted distasteful memes and slogans against then competitor Hillary Clinton on social media sites like Reddit, Twitter and Facebook.
Though no specifics were given for his leaving the company, Facebook has confirmed Luckey’s departure, saying in a quote:
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.
Palmer Luckey has not responded to Facebook messages requesting answers about his departure.
