Meta's VP of VR/MR, Mark Rabkin, is leaving the company in March, citing "family health issues".
Rabkin has been at Meta for 18 years, having joined as a software engineer working on ads back in 2007, and has led the Quest headset and Horizon OS teams at Meta for over four years, since just after the launch of Quest 2.
"I really tried to tackle both the home and work challenges at once [...] but, in my heart I know clearly that I have to pause and focus on the most important board in front of me: the home one", Rabkin writes in his departing note, shared on Facebook.
Despite these family challenges, Rabkin describes 2024 as "a pretty amazing work year", highlighting the significant 2D window positioning upgrades his teams brought to Horizon OS, as well as the opening up of the store and launch of Batman: Arkham Shadow.
"Through the year, I really tried to tackle both the home and work challenges at once. And it was a pretty amazing work year. We launched our amazing Quest 3S headset, so many incredible things in the OS (2D apps! Spatial Computing OS + UX! Open Store! Media! Batman!), and also cooked up some disruptive, stunning innovation for the future. I had a lifetime honor to present our vision at Connect.
But, in my heart I know clearly that I have to pause and focus on the most important board in front of me: the home one. I am going to be leaving Meta and taking a significant period off from working to focus on that and make it go as good as I can make it. It’s the toughest of calls. It’s also the right one."
He goes on to describe presenting Meta's vision for Horizon OS at Connect 2024 as a "lifetime honor", and references unannounced "disruptive, stunning innovation for the future".
David Heaney
Meta isn't yet saying who will take his place, though Rabkin told Meta Reality Labs staff that Vishal Shah, Meta's VP Of Metaverse, will "share the great plan he already has in store for the role and its timing very soon."
"MR/VR/XR/AR devs and fans – I will leave you in good hands. More to come.", Rabkin says in a post on X.
On Threads, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg called Rabkin's tenure at Meta an "amazing run", and said that he's "welcome back anytime", suggesting Rabkin may one day return to Meta Reality Labs.
