Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell leaves after 7 years

Nate Mitchell has announced he's leaving Facebook in a post on Reddit, with the co-founder of Oculus saying: "Hey everyone - I have some bittersweet news to share with this community. After 7 incredible years, I've decided to move on from Oculus / Facebook".

I first met Nate back at PAX Australia 2013 when Oculus was a small start-up, and he was one of the most humble guys I'd ever met. He remembered me again at CES 2015, and again was a humble human being even with Oculus going through its meteroic rise with Palmer Luckey and creating a VR market out of nothing really.

Facebook is looking internally and externally to find a replacement for Mitchell, according to someone who spoke with WIRED. Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer said in a reply to Mitchell's post on Facebook: "Nate thank you for all you've done for VR and FB. Was and is an amazing ride and blast working with you. THANK YOU! Hope you get some well-deserved rest and I can't wait to see what you do next!"

He continued:

"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. But this community from around the world came together and helped make VR a reality. Fast forward just a few years later, and VR is changing people's lives every day. This is because of you.

Virtual reality is still on the bleeding edge of technology, and this community continues to pioneer the way forward. What's ahead is always unknown, and that's what makes it exciting. Stay bold and keep chasing the future.

What's next for me: I'm taking time to travel, be with family, and recharge. Of course, I'll still be part of this community, but I'll have a much smaller role to play.

I expect the incredible team at Facebook to continue to surprise and delight us on this mission to build the next computing platform. I can't wait to see what comes next.

To everyone here: Thank you for your passion and creativity. Thank you for believing in the impossible. Thank you for inspiring us everyday.

Thanks for 7 amazing years."