John Carmack departs Meta and bids farewell to VR development - Game Developer

John Carmack has resigned arsenic Meta's enforcement advisor for VR and near the institution aft astir a decade.

In a lengthy resignation email, posted successful afloat by Carmack connected Facebook aft snippets were initially leaked to the press, the seasoned programmer said the determination signals the extremity of "my decennary successful VR" and noted helium has "mixed feelings" astir leaving the company.

Carmack spent years moving astatine Meta arsenic CTO of VR institution Oculus aft it was purchased by the societal media turned metaverse level (then known arsenic Facebook) successful 2013.

In 2019, Carmack stepped down arsenic Oculus CTO to research the satellite of artificial intelligence, but said helium would stay astatine Oculus (which present operates nether the Reality Labs moniker) successful a consulting CTO position.

Now, 3 years later, Carmack has wholly severed ties with Meta aft becoming frustrated astatine inefficiencies wrong the company.

"This is the extremity of my decennary successful VR. I person mixed feelings. Quest 2 is astir precisely what I wanted to spot from the beginning–mobile hardware, wrong retired tracking, optional PC streaming, 4k (ish) screen, outgo effective," helium wrote.

"Despite each the complaints I person astir our software, millions of radical are inactive getting worth retired of it. We person a bully product. It is successful, and palmy products marque the satellite a amended place. It each could person happened a spot faster and been going amended if antithetic decisions had been made, but we built thing beauteous adjacent to The Right Thing.

"The contented is our efficiency. Some volition inquire wherefore I attraction however the advancement is happening, arsenic agelong arsenic it is happening? If I americium trying to sway others, I would accidental that an org that has lone known inefficiency is sick prepared for the inevitable contention and/or loop tightening, but really, it is the much idiosyncratic symptom of seeing a 5 percent GPU utilization fig successful production. I americium offended by it."

Elaborating further, Carmack said that arsenic a systems optimized idiosyncratic helium cares profoundly astir efficiency, and that erstwhile you "work hard astatine optimization for astir of your life, seeing thing that is grossly inefficient hurts your soul"–suggesting that Meta's existent show level reminded him of seeing a "tragically debased fig connected a profiling tool."

Carmack added that Meta has a "ridiculous magnitude of radical and resources," but perpetually squanders the tools and teams astatine its disposal done acts of "self-sabotage."

"There is nary mode to sweetener overgarment this; I deliberation our enactment is operating astatine fractional the effectiveness that would marque maine happy. Some whitethorn scoff and contend we are doing conscionable fine, but others volition laughter and accidental 'Half? Ha! I’m astatine 4th efficiency!' It has been a conflict for me. I person a dependable astatine the highest levels here, truthful it feels similar I should beryllium capable to determination things, but I’m evidently not persuasive enough," helium continued.

"A bully fraction of the things I kick astir yet crook my mode aft a twelvemonth oregon 2 passes and grounds piles up, but I person ne'er been capable to termination anserine things earlier they origin damage, oregon acceptable a absorption and person a squad really instrumentality to it. I deliberation my power astatine the margins has been positive, but it has ne'er been a premier mover."

Carmack claimed his frustrations are partially "self-inflicted" due to the fact that helium chose to instrumentality with the institution aft the Oculus acquisition, but suggested helium would hardly person thrived had helium moved to Melno Park (Meta HQ) and "tried to wage battles with generations of leadership."

Looking ahead, Carmack implored Meta to capable its products with "Give a Damn" and enactment to amended its practices, but explained he'll present beryllium focused connected building artificial wide quality astatine his startup Keen Technologies.