The creator of Meta’s Oculus virtual reality headsets shredded Mark Zuckerberg’s version of the metaverse arguing the platform is currently terrible and in need of an overhaul.
Palmer Luckey, who sold Oculus VR to Facebook for $3 billion and was later ousted by the company, compared Zuckerberg’s foray into the metaverse to a “project car” — a pet initiative requiring a massive investment with no guarantee that others will find it worthwhile.
Under Zuckerberg’s direction, Meta has spent at least $15 billion to build its version of the metaverse with little to show for his efforts. Earlier this month, the wall street journal, reported Meta has already cut user growth goals for its main metaverse platform, Horizon Worlds, due to sagging early results.
Critics have accused Zuckerberg of neglecting Meta’s core social media business even as the company struggles through a major stock slump. Shares are down more than 60% since January during a broader tech sector slowdown.
Luckey did not completely write off Meta’s initiative, noting that early iterations of his Oculus Rift headset were “awful” but eventually improved
Zuckerberg has been described as the number one virtual reality fan in the entire world who has put more money and more time into it than anyone has ever done in history.
Luckey founded military contractor Anduril Technologies after leaving Facebook in 2017. His departure followed reports that he donated $10,000 to a pro-Donald Trump internet campaign during the 2016 presidential campaign. Facebook has long denied that his dismissal was politically motivated.
