Former Google and Xiaomi executive Hugo Barra is returning to Silicon Valley to head VR venture of Facebook. According to a post made by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Barra will join the social networking company as VP of VR, which also includes Oculus.

Zuckerberg merely provided cursory information about the new appointment saying that Barra concurs with his belief that "virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform."

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Barra responded to the post saying that he had been interested in virtual reality ever since its inception. He added that he is looking forward to working with Facebook to make virtual reality mainstream.

Barra had announced his departure from Xiaomi earlier this week. He was with Xiaomi since 2013, where he was responsible for expanding the role of the company in global arena.

Barra had stated that he was leaving the Chinese technology company so that he can go back Silicon Valley. Prior to Xiaomi, Barra served Google from 2010 to 2013, where he dealt with development of Android.

It is expected that Barra may occupy top slot at Oculus. The former CEO of the initiative, Brendan Iribe, vacated the position in December last year. He moved on to manage one of two Oculus units.

Oculus is currently going through turbulent times. Its cofounder Palmer Luckey had come under fire for donating to Nimble America, a pro-Trump political outfit. The company is also embroiled in an Intellectual Property case. Earlier this month, Zuckerberg had to testify in a Dallas court in this regard.

TagsFacebook, Hugo Barra, Xiaomi