How Unluckey can a guy get? Or as they say, you make your own (Palmer) Luckey! Ok enough puns!
One thing is certain. Its never a good idea to be too close to anything political or perceived as too polarizing when you are in a public role. Unless of course you want the attention! Unfortunately, Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus Rift has found himself in a bit of trouble this week. He was discovered to have been providing funding to a group called Nimble America. Palmer Luckey himself claims his only interest was more related to funding memes and other related support to young voters. Needless to say, he clearly hadn't done his research or he just isn't being entirely honest about the transaction.
The original article was posted by The Daily Beast where they exposed the apparent activities of our Virtual Reality founder and hero.
In all honesty, we could probably write a lot more about the transgressions of this young man. Some companies have already publically announced that they will no longer support Oculus Rift until such time as his resignation. Frankly, for a guy that has managed to build a business and make millions, it would have made sense to do some basic research before going ahead and funding the organisation. So its hard to feel entirely sorry for him on the one hand although it may have been an honest and simply young and foolish mistake.
In a statement from Palmer Luckey he issued the following apology:
I am deeply sorry that my actions are negatively impacting the perception of Oculus and its partners.The recent news stories about me do not accurately represent my views.
Here’s more background: I contributed $10,000 to Nimble America because I thought the organization had fresh ideas on how to communicate with young voters through the use of several billboards. I am a libertarian who has publicly supported Ron Paul and Gary Johnson in the past, and I plan on voting for Gary in this election as well.
I am committed to the principles of fair play and equal treatment. I did not write the “NimbleRichMan” posts, nor did I delete the account. Reports that I am a founder or employee of Nimble America are false. I don’t have any plans to donate beyond what I have already given to Nimble America.
Still, my actions were my own and do not represent Oculus. I’m sorry for the impact my actions are having on the community.
So what do you think? Should we give him a second chance or should we ask him to move on to greener pastures? Should we even care what he is doing with his hard-earned money. More importantly are we setting a double standard by claiming freedom for all, but judging those in positions that are visibile to all? Honestly, we hope this all just blows over so that we can just get on with our Virtual Reality world here at IamVR.