Industry vet John Carmack leaves Meta after telling the company to "give a damn"

Oculus Quest 2 Elite Strap image displaying how it fits on the headset itself
(Image credit: Meta)

Doom and Quake co-creator, John Carmack, is leaving Meta after "a decade in VR".

The consulting CTO stepped down on Friday, but not before making his feelings about the company and its current direction painfully clear. 

"This is the end of my decade in VR. I have mixed feelings," his note - as seen by Business Insider - began.

"Quest 2 is almost exactly what I wanted to see from the beginning – mobile hardware, inside out tracking, optional PC streaming, 4k (ish) screen, cost effective. Despite all the complaints I have about our software, millions of people are still getting value out of it. 

"We have a good product. It is successful, and successful products make the world a better place. It all could have happened a bit faster and been going better if different decisions had been made, but we built something pretty close to The Right Thing," he added.

From there, however, Carmack was less complimentary, stating that the "issue" is the company's "efficiency".

After detailing his frustration that although he has "a voice at the highest levels", Carmack said he was seemingly "not persuasive enough" to "kill stupid things before they cause damage, or set a direction and have a team actually stick to it".

"We have a ridiculous amount of people and resources, but we constantly self-sabotage and squander effort. There is no way to sugarcoat this; I think our organization is operating at half the effectiveness that would make me happy. Some may scoff and contend we are doing just fine, but others will laugh and say, 'Half? Ha! I'm at quarter efficiency!'

"Enough complaining. I wearied of the fight and have my own startup to run, but the fight is still winnable!" Carmack added. "VR can bring value to most of the people in the world, and no company is better positioned to do it than Meta. Maybe it is actually possible to get there by just plowing ahead with current practices, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

"Make better decisions and fill your products with 'Give a Damn!'"

Talking of Quest 2… did you see that today's Epic Games Store festive freebie is Costume Quest 2? (Yes, I'm proud of that segue!). Head on over to the store now if you'd like to add Double Fine's humorous adventure to your library.

"15 Days of Free" is now live, giving away one game every day from now until the end of the year. Each game will only be available for 24 hours - so you'll need to check the store daily to unlock your free gift - but if it follows the trend of previous years, expect a good mix of indie and AAA titles across a wide array of genres. 

Looking to expand your VR library? Here are our tips for the best VR games.

Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, GamesRadar+

Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter. 

Read more
PowerWash Simulator VR level with painted cat
PowerWash Simulator is ending support for VR, "a platform which costs us more than it makes," after just 14 months
Meta Quest 3S review image of the headset on a desk in green lighting
Um, why is the 256GB Meta Quest 3S seeing a $50 price drop less than a month into 2025?
The Galaxy Unpacked teaser image of the upcoming Samsung VR headset
Samsung's long-awaited VR headset smells like an Apple Vision Pro rival, but Asus seems to be cooking up something better
Meta Quest 3 from the front being held by a reviewer
Meta Quest 3 deals are back in business with free gift cards and big savings
A side-by-side of the Meta Quest 3 and 3S, separated by an orange line
The best Meta Quest deals and bundles in March 2025
Harley pointing gun in Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League
After the success of Hogwarts Legacy and the failure of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Warner Bros. gaming boss leaves after 12 years
Latest in VR
a spacesuit wearing person looks at a cool dinosaur skeleton
No Man's Sky's latest free update lets you live out your childhood dreams of digging up dinosaur bones
Meta Quest 3 from the front being held by a reviewer
Meta Quest 3 deals are back in business with free gift cards and big savings
Elsewhere Electric appearing in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2025
Elsewhere Electric is a co-op puzzle game with a twist: one player is in VR while the other plays on mobile
Slender: The Arrival VR appearing in FGS Live from GDC
Slender: The Arrival VR puts you directly into the creepy horror alongside the Slender Man
PSVR 2 up close next to a gaming PC
PSVR 2's price drop makes it cheaper than the Meta Quest 3, and I know which one I'd buy
The Meta Quest 3 side by side with a Pico 4 Ultra, separated by an orange line
Meta Quest 3 vs Pico 4 Ultra: Which VR headset should you buy?
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"