Who founded Oculus VR before Facebook acquired the company in 2014?

Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR before Facebook acquired the company in 2014.

Luckey created early virtual-reality headset prototypes and founded Oculus VR in 2012. The project gained attention through a Kickstarter campaign for the Oculus Rift development kit, which helped demonstrate renewed consumer interest in virtual reality.

Oculus attracted support from technology investors and recruited prominent engineers, including John Carmack, who became its chief technology officer. Facebook announced its agreement to acquire Oculus VR in March 2014 for approximately $2 billion in cash and stock.

The acquisition placed virtual reality at the center of Facebook’s long-term hardware and platform strategy. Luckey remained associated with Oculus during the transition but left Facebook in 2017. Palmer Luckey is therefore the founder, while Carmack is best known for his technical leadership and earlier work in video games.