Speakers for AWE 2025: Oculus Founder, Meta’s Metaverse Experiences VP, & ILM Immersive VP

The upcoming AWE USA 2025 is gearing up to be a standout event in the XR industry, featuring some of the most influential figures in the field. Among the distinguished speakers is Palmer Luckey, renowned for founding Oculus and later Anduril. Joining him is Jason Rubin, a key early figure at Oculus and now Meta’s Vice President of Metaverse Experiences. Another prominent name making an appearance is Vicki Dobbs Beck, Vice President of ILM Immersive, the creative force behind XR versions of Star Wars, Marvel, and more.

AWE USA has established itself as one of the most significant gatherings for XR enthusiasts worldwide and is an essential event for anyone invested in this rapidly evolving technology. This year, the conference will take place in Long Beach, California, from June 10th to 12th. With expectations to surpass previous years, the event anticipates more than 6,000 attendees, showcasing 300 exhibitors, and featuring over 400 speakers across an expansive 150,000 square feet of expo space. Early-bird tickets are still up for grabs, and readers from Road to VR can benefit from a special 20% discount.

Among the ensemble of over 400 presenters, familiar industry leaders like Palmer Luckey, Jason Rubin, and Vicki Dobbs Beck will be sharing insights into their areas of expertise.

Palmer Luckey is no stranger to shaking things up in the XR world. After founding Oculus, which Meta acquired in 2014 to boost its XR ventures, Luckey launched the Oculus Rift CV1. However, his journey at Meta ended amid political controversies surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Despite the past turbulence, Luckey recently met with Meta’s executives to preview their new AR headset, Project Orion, where Chief XR Executive Andrew “Boz” Bosworth extended a public apology, acknowledging Luckey’s significant impact on VR.

Following his departure from Meta, Luckey founded Anduril, a military tech company now valued at approximately $18 billion, making him a rare entrepreneur to have created more than one multi-billion-dollar venture. Interestingly, Anduril is now leading a military AR headset project initially kickstarted by Microsoft. At AWE USA, we look forward to hearing Luckey’s perspective on this military adaptation of XR technology.

Jason Rubin, another pivotal figure in Oculus’ journey and now with Meta, will also speak at the conference. Since joining in 2014, Rubin has been at the forefront of overseeing content strategy post-Meta’s acquisition of Oculus, holding various roles that revolved around gaming and partnerships. His talk is expected to dive deeper into Meta’s vision for the metaverse and its evolving landscape.

Also sharing her expertise will be Vicki Dobbs Beck, a seasoned executive in immersive technology, and a co-founder of ILM Immersive, Lucasfilm’s XR division. Her team is acclaimed for groundbreaking XR experiences, like the “Vader Immortal” series and “Marvel’s What If…?”—an immersive experience that marked its debut on the Apple Vision Pro. Beck is expected to discuss the future direction for ILM Immersive, focusing on the evolution of narrative-driven immersive experiences as standalone headsets become more prevalent.

Road to VR proudly serves as the Premier Media Partner for AWE USA 2025, a collaboration that allows them to offer an exclusive 20% discount to their readers for event tickets.