Oculus recently delivered a keynote presentation during its yearly Connect developer conference, but Palmer Luckey, the founder of the company, chose not to participate in the event.
However, important names from the enterprise took the stage, such as helm Brendan Iribe, Vice President of Products Nate Mitchell, and Chief Scientist at Oculus Michael Abrash. Less prominent Oculus specialists also appeared on the stage, such as Diversity Project Manager Ebony Peay Ramirez and Creative Producer Yelena Rachitsky.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, surprised the audience and appeared on stage at the Oculus Connect. He delivered a consistent message about virtual reality and the way it will change society. This might indicate that Facebook is taking the reins of the VR venture that it bought in 2014 for no less than $2 billion.
Some heralded Zuckerberg's taking leadership in Oculus, as Luckey was under fire recently after The Daily Beast reported that the Oculus founder funded an all-right pro-Trump group. According to the report, the Nimble America group received $10,000 from Luckey.
Nimble America's agenda is to deploy anti-Hillary Clinton internet memes and images on billboards, in the hope of swinging people to vote for Trump in the upcoming presidential elections.
Luckey denied that he actively supports Trump, but confirmed that he injected cash into the Nimble America group.
Developers and consumers were outraged to hear about Luckey's political affiliations, which led to the Oculus founder publishing an apology on Facebook, acknowledging that his actions are denting Oculus VR.
Luckey is revered as one of the creators of modern VR. His involvement in the design of early Oculus Rift prototypes was massive, and he has become synonymous with the technology company since then. The Oculus founder has been very present online, keeping close touch with fans and angry customers online, particularly on Reddit discussion boards.
The interactions slowed down to a halt this summer, as the shipping of Oculus Rift headsets was pushed further and further into the future. Consumer complaints started mounting about the delays, which prompted Luckey to minimize his digital presence.
After the political funding scandal, Luckey seems to be uneasy not just with discussion boards, but also with making public appearances in general. The fact that Luckey was not present at the annual Connect developer conference indicates that Oculus simply wants to get over the controversial topic of political funding and keep focusing on what it does best: VR headsets and experiences.
This means that, at least for a while, you will have to look at Zuckerberg for comments on VR's future.
