Meta Platforms Inc.'s virtual reality unit was led by John Carmack until recently.
In his resignation note, the games industry veteran said that he had been frustrated by the poor operational efficiency of Meta's virtual reality endeavor, which he never felt adequately able to influence in the right direction.
Before the acquisition of Meta by Facebook in 2014, Carmack was a member of the development team at the virtual reality company. He most recently worked as an executive consultant for virtual reality at Meta, where he was an outspoken critic. The company was renamed to show its commitment to developing a metaverse of virtual 3D experiences.
Carmack said that he should be able to move things because he has a voice at the highest levels. I've never been able to kill stupid things before they cause damage or have a team stick to it.
The games industry veteran, whose id Software produced classic first-person shooter games Quake and Doom and helped ushered in 3D graphics for PC video games, said that he found a "notable gap" between himself and Facebook's founder. He believes that everything necessary for spectacular success is at the company.
As anyone who listens to my unscripted Connect talks knows, I have always been pretty frustrated with how things get done at FB/Meta. Everything necessary for spectacular success is right there, but it doesn't get put together effectively.
— John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) December 17, 2022
Each year, Meta spends billions of dollars on its metaverse and virtual reality project, and the Meta Quest 2 is considered to be the best virtual reality headset on the market. In October, the company said that the Reality Labs unit's operating losses would grow in 2023, which has not been welcomed by investors looking for more cost discipline from tech companies.
With Meta not having seen an uptick in engagement for its Horizon Worlds app from both the content creators and early users, despite being the most aggressive with its investments in building the metaverse, we believe the company may focus on curtailing operating losses for its Reality Labs’ segment.
— Mandeep Singh, analyst
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The investors are in no mood for the movie.
It is impossible to overstate the impact you have had on our work and the industry as a whole.
@ID_AA_Carmack, it is impossible to overstate the impact you’ve had on our work and the industry as a whole. Your technical prowess is widely known, but it is your relentless focus on creating value for people that we will remember most. Thank you and see you in VR.
— Boz (@boztank) December 17, 2022
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