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Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe is leaving Facebook

The virtual reality business was acquired by Facebook in 2014.
The virtual reality business was acquired by Facebook in 2014. The virtual reality business was acquired by Facebook in 2014.

The co-founder of virtual reality headset firm Oculus, Brendan Iribe, has announced he is leaving Facebook – which bought the company in 2014.

Iribe is the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the social network, coming only a month after Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger announced they were leaving, reportedly over differences with Facebook over the direction of the photo-sharing app.

So much has happened since the day we founded Oculus in July 2012. I never could have imagined how much we would…Posted by Brendan Trexler Iribe on Monday, October 22, 2018

However, Iribe appeared to strike a positive tone in his own leaving announcement.

“So much has happened since the day we founded Oculus in July 2012. I never could have imagined how much we would accomplish and how far we would come. And now, after six incredible years, I am moving on,” Iribe said in a Facebook post.

“I’m deeply proud and grateful for all that we’ve done together. We assembled one of the greatest research and engineering teams in history, delivered the first step of true virtual presence with Oculus Rift and Touch, and inspired an entirely new industry. We started a revolution that will change the world in ways we can’t even envision.”

Iribe thanked Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg in the post, adding that his departure would be “the first real break I’ve taken in over 20 years”.

“It’s time to recharge, reflect and be creative. I’m excited for the next chapter,” he said.

Iribe’s co-founder at Oculus, Palmer Luckey, left the firm in March 2017 while both WhatsApp co-founders – Jan Koum and Brian Acton – have also quit the company, meaning Facebook’s three biggest acquisitions have all parted ways with those who created them.