Oculus VR cofounder Nate Mitchell announced on Tuesday that he is leaving Facebook, effectively bringing the age of the Oculus pioneers to an end.
In an article posted on Reddit, the Oculus VR cofounder broke the news to his fans that he is finally leaving Oculus/Facebook after seven years. He said he is taking some time to travel, to be with his family, and to recharge.
Looking Back At Oculus' Past
Mitchell talked about the early days of the company, reminiscing the time when Oculus was still just an idea that he and other founders posted on Kickstarter.
"When we posted the Kickstarter in 2012, VR was mostly the stuff of science fiction. We didn't know if people would take us seriously. We weren't even sure we'd hit our original $250k target," Mitchell wrote.
However, he said that the VR community from all over the world came together to help make the technology a reality. After a few years, VR has become something that can change people's lives and that it was made possible because of supporters of the tech.
Mitchell gave props to the community for leading the way toward the development of virtual reality. He said he did not know what was in store for the technology but that was what made things exciting for him. He advised the community to "stay bold" and to "keep chasing the future."
As for Mitchell himself, he said that he would still be part of the VR community, albeit in a much smaller role than he had before. He plans to spend the time following his exit from Facebook to travel and to be with his loved ones. He will also use it to "recharge."
Mitchell added that he expects the Facebook team to continue the work to develop the next computing platform, something that he said he cannot wait to see. He also thanked the members of the Oculus subreddit for their passion and creativity and for "believing in the impossible."
Mitchell's Time In Facebook
Following Facebook's acquisition of Oculus in March 2014, Mitchell became the head of the Rift project while other members of the Oculus team worked on lower-end VR products. He also had a long stint as the company's head of product.
Mitchell helped guide Oculus VR during its early years as part of Facebook, leading the way toward the launch of the Rift headset in 2016. He also often served as the face of the company at public presentations and announcements alongside cofounders Palmer Luckey and Brendan Iribe.
Prior to Mitchell's exit, Luckey had already left the Oculus team in 2017 due to controversy stemming from his right-wing political sentiments. Meanwhile, Iribe stepped down from his role as Oculus' CEO in 2016 and left the company entirely in October.
