After its reveal in October, Facebook’s Metaverse has already been ridiculed by the public. With rampant sexism and racism already prominent in the virtual world, it’s fair to say that the general consensus is in the negative.
Following the year of negativity, Facebook’s Metaverse is struggling. In response, the mind behind the project, Vivek Sharma, is leaving Meta for pastures new.
Vivek Sharma abandons Facebook’s Metaverse
Reported by Reuters, Sharma is departing from the tech giant. As Vice President of Meta VR, Sharma is responsible for every decision regarding the company’s Metaverse, for better and for worse.
Nevertheless, Sharma is leaving to explore new possibilities. In a statement, Meta announced: Thanks to [Sharma's] leadership, the Horizon product group has built a strong team with an ambitious vision, and it is just getting started."
Sharma’s reign at Meta saw Facebook’s Metaverse split into two halves. Firstly, social interactions were set in Horizon Worlds. Secondly, virtual concerts were set in a separate app called Horizon Venues. They’ve since been merged.
As the head of the first generation of Metaverse development, Sharma certainly had his work cut out for him. While it may not have all been successful, that’s a job for his successor to fix.
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Who’s the new guy?
Of course, Meta has already started preparations to replace Sharma as Vice President of Meta VR. After six years at the company, Sharma is replaced by Metaverse vice president Vishal Shah.
However, there’s no news on whether Shah’s tenure as the Metaverse lead will alter the course of the virtual world. Will Facebook’s Metaverse still suffer from poor decision making?
After all, the company’s Metaverse plans are overseen by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. As Zuckerberg’s billions-upon-billions-of-dollars pet project, the CEO has a pot of leeway to change whatever he wants about the company’s approach.
Facebook’s metaverse approach does seem to be staying its course, for now. Only time will tell if the company will correct course.