Hugo Barra joins Facebook as VP of virtual reality

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Hugo Barra made an abrupt announcement that he was leaving Xiaomi earlier this week to return to Silicon Valley, and now we know where he's going next: Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg announced that Barra will be joining the social network to lead its virtual reality efforts, where he'll lead the Oculus team.

https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10103456684278791

Commenting on the post, Hugo Barra said:

Thanks, Mark! I can't wait to get started in building that future and join the team soon. It's been a dream of mine to work in virtual reality even back when AR/VR were just figments of science fiction; now we're taking selfies in virtual worlds :) I learned from Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun that there's no greater calling in our industry than taking breakthrough tech and making it available to the greatest number of people.Really looking forward to doing just that at Facebook — taking VR mainstream — working with you, Brendan, Mike Schroepfer, and the Oculus team!

Facebook is looking to virtual reality as the next big platform, and Barra's expertise at building products during his time at Google and Xiaomi makes him an ideal candidate to lead the company's efforts.

Harish Jonnalagadda
Harish Jonnalagadda
Senior Editor - Asia

Harish Jonnalagadda is Android Central's Senior Editor of Asia. In his current role, he oversees the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, networking products, and AV gear. He has been testing phones for over a decade, and has extensive experience in mobile hardware and the global semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.