Palmer Luckey responds to criticism of past comments

Oculus has come a long way since starting its initial Kickstarter for the Rift and over the last several years, a lot has changed and evolved when it comes to virtual reality. As an enthusiast of the technology he was trying to push, Palmer Luckey has made plenty of public statements over time, some of which have come back to bite him as circumstances changed over time.

Yesterday, a lengthy post was put together on the Oculus subreddit, linking back to around 12 statements Palmer has made over time that didn't really pan out, ranging from talk of Rift production, pricing and input methods. However, the man himself decided to hop on and respond, defending his approach to PR and explaining that not everything he says has to stand true forever.

“Does shit change sometimes? Of course it does. Does that mean I am going to stop speaking my mind because people throw out of context words in my face years later? No, not really. The same people who complain about “lack of transparency” and “sterile, corporate communication” are so very often the same people who berate and hate companies and individuals for anything they ever say that changes at some point.”

“That is why the majority of companies tell you nothing and keep you in the dark on everything unless it is perfectly constructed to keep secrets secret, offend nobody, and align with every corporate message that has ever been given. They know a vocal minority of people is going to latch on to anything they say or have said and use it to shit on them, and they let it control them.”

“In 4 more years, people are going to be doing the same thing. “But Palmer, remember the time you said the Rift was seated only?! Remember when you said mobile would never equal the power of PC? Or how about the time you said eye tracking was not feasible and totally stupid? Huehuehue, what a liar, gotcha!” Twist: I don't care, because I would rather say what I think than make sure every word I say stands for all of eternity engraved on a pillar of stone, absolute, unchanging, and rustling the jimmies of no man.”

KitGuru Says: Being a new technology, it is easy to figure that an awful lot has changed over the last few years when it comes to VR. Palmer has certainly said some things in the past that don't necessarily prove true today but I can see his side on this. What do you guys make of this? Should Palmer take a more corporate approach to PR? Or should people stop latching on to every statement he makes?  

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