Palmer Luckey: Trump-supporting Oculus founder leaves Facebook

'Palmer will be dearly missed,' company says in statement announcing departure of controversial VR pioneer

Virtual reality pioneer Palmer Luckey has left Facebook, six months after it was revealed that he had secretly funded a pro-Trump campaign group dedicated to turning the tide of the US election through "meme magic" and "shitposting".

Luckey, who founded virtual reality company Oculus in 2012 when he was 19, has been a Facebook employee since Mark Zuckerberg's social network bought his firm in 2014 for $2bn. In a statement, Facebook said "Palmer will be dearly missed. Palmer's legacy extends far beyond Oculus. His inventive spirit helped kickstart the modern VR revolution and helped build an industry. We're thankful for everything he did for Oculus and VR, and we wish him all the best."