Vivek Sharma, Meta’s vice president in charge of Horizon (the name the group gives to everything metaverse-related), is leaving the company. He had joined Meta in 2016.
Available in France since August 2022, the Horizon Worlds metaverse is going through a zone of turbulence. Very uncrowded (no joke, there were less than 50 people connected when we tried it), Horizon Worlds was especially the target of mockery after the publication of a virtual selfie of Mark Zuckerberg in front of the Eiffel Tower, which had forced the boss of Meta to justify himself and to promise improvements by October, date of his next major conference .
On Friday August 26, Meta confirmed information from Reuters that Vivek Sharma, the vice president of the Horizon division since August 2021, is leaving the company. Is Meta about to review its metaverse strategy?
Mark Zuckerberg believes in it, but the others?
Horizon is the name Meta gives to the development of its own metaverse. Yet the company has two separate divisions. One dedicated to Horizon (that of Vivek Sharma), another dedicated to the metaverse in general (piloted by Vishal Shah). Unsurprisingly, the existence of these two teams will probably not be maintained. Meta has decided to entrust the management of Horizon to the vice-president of its metaverse division.
What are the reasons for Vivek Sharma’s departure? Arrived at Meta in 2016, this former Microsoft has long led the gaming division of the company. The company says his departure is not related to a new professional opportunity, without saying more. Either way, it doesn’t really come at the best time.