Final Day at Meta: Four Years Complete
My last day at Meta. Reflections on the journey, gratitude for the team, and anticipation for what's next.
Four years and two months ago I joined Meta to build something that didn't exist. Today is my last day, on the date I set in June.
By the Numbers
The team went from 5 to 75 people. Locations mapped went from zero to more than 10,000, and daily queries from zero to millions. We shipped Quest Pro, Quest 3, and a developer platform, and filed 2 patents, one already granted. Not on the list: VPS on glasses, which I promised for the following generation twice. I leave with that one open. Numbers miss most of what happened, but they're one measure.
What I'll Miss
The team most of all - brilliant, dedicated people who became friends. The resources too, because being able to try things at scale is a luxury I'm about to give up. And the mission and the community around it: spatial computing matters, we moved it forward, and Reality Labs has remarkable talent density.
What I Won't Miss
The politics. Alignment across organizations was exhausting, the meetings multiplied into meetings about meetings, and decisions moved at the speed large organizations move at. Most of all I won't miss the distance from users - the layers between me and the people actually using what we built.
Lessons That Travel
A few things come with me. Data is strategy, the line I left Magic Leap with: whoever controls training data controls ML outcomes. Privacy has to be designed in from the start, never bolted on. Platforms are their own discipline, where developer experience matters as much as end-user experience. Strong teams outlast strong individuals. And you learn more from launching than from planning.
Gratitude List
- The team members who trusted me to lead
- The managers who gave me space to build
- The partners who collaborated across orgs
- The users who gave feedback
- My family who supported late nights and work trips
What's Next?
I'm taking Q4 2024 to reset and recover, explore opportunities, build some things myself, and decide where to focus. I'm not joining another company immediately. I want to be intentional about this one.
Closing Thoughts
Meta gave me the platform to build something significant. VPS exists because of what we did together, and that's permanent regardless of what I do next.
To everyone at Meta Reality Labs: thank you. The work continues, and I'll be cheering from the outside.