What’s left of the Altspace social VR team might be working at Microsoft now, but its CEO and founder Eric Romo is now a product director at Facebook.
Altspace ran out of money last year after it was unable to raise additional funds to drive the early innovator in social VR, then had a surprise return after it found a lifeline. The company had developed a cross platform social service that included first-of-its-kind features, like Slack integration allowing teams to quickly set up a private room in VR where they could meet up and discuss ideas.
Romo is joining Facebook as a product director, according to a post by Facebook’s social VR team leader Rachel Rubin Franklin. A post by Romo explained some of his thinking:
It wasn’t an easy decision, but I left AltspaceVR with confidence that the team is well-placed to continue pushing forward the promise of virtual communication as part of the Microsoft mixed reality ecosystem. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next, and wish them all the best.
I’m beyond excited for the opportunity to continue exploring how VR can help communities connect as a part of the Facebook team. I’m also grateful I’ll be able to keep my family’s roots here in the SF Bay Area, which was a big priority for me. I’ve been inspired by Facebook’s commitment to VR and I’m motivated by how much there is yet to do.
