A key leader for Meta’s metaverse software is leaving the company

Facebook is opening up Horizon World, its virtual reality world of avatars, to anyone 18 and older in the U.S. and Canada.

A spokeswoman for the company said Friday that the vice president of the software is leaving.

For the past six years, Sharma has held high-ranking positions in marketplace and gaming, and most recently was in charge of the metaverse-related business unit.

The VP of the company oversaw various virtual reality projects such as theHorizon Worlds social media service, which is similar to the online game Second Life that has been retrofitted to virtual reality. The core Worlds app has been updated this summer with the addition of the Horizon Workrooms and theHorizon Venues apps.

Thanks to his leadership, the Horizon product group has built a strong team with an ambitious vision. "Meta continues to be a source for developing great leaders, and we're excited to see what he accomplishes in his next chapter."

The team will now report to the VP of the Metaverse, according to the spokesman.

The metaverse is a collection of digital worlds that people can access through virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

In a recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience", Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that his company will release a new virtual reality headset in October, which is the month that Meta usually holds its virtual reality conference.

Billions of dollars are being spent on the metaverse.