Brendan Iribe, the tech inventor behind virtual reality startup Oculus VR, has defended the startup's acquisition by Facebook.

Oculus VR is well-known for its potentially revolutionary product, the Oculus Rift, which is a virtual reality system designed for videogames. Virtual reality makes the user think that he is not simply controlling an avatar in an artificial world but he is in the artificial world himself.

But, Iribe sold the startup to Facebook for $2billion, even as the Oculus Rift is still under development. The deal prompted many, especially the video game community, to criticize the deal, saying lack of independence could ruin Oculus' revolutionary innovation.

But, Iribe defended the deal, saying it was incredible to work with a small team on a big idea like that of virtual reality. He admitted that he initially did not want his company to be acquired, but later he agreed as Facebook had the capability as well as resources to make virtual reality commercially viable and affordable for consumers.

Speaking on the topic, he said, "Frankly, we didn't want to be acquired. But when we saw this partnership and how much sense it made, we really wanted to . go into the partnership if it meant we could stay Oculus and stay who we are.  We'd keep our Oculus email addresses, and we'd really keep our independence."

Iribe cited Instagram and WhatsApp as startups that didn't lose independence even after being acquired by Facebook. He stressed that it would not be in Facebook's interest to overrun Oculus VR's independence.