The Wall Street Journal: Regina Dugan, head of secretive Facebook research lab, stepping down

The head of Facebook Inc.’s cutting-edge hardware lab, Building 8, is stepping down after a year and a half.

Regina Dugan, formerly a Pentagon research chief and top executive at Alphabet Inc.’s

GOOG, +0.02%

GOOGL, +0.16%

  Google, will leave Facebook

FB, +0.91%

  in early 2018 “to focus on building and leading a new endeavor,” she announced Tuesday in a Facebook post. Dugan has been in charge of Building 8 since the lab’s creation in April 2016. Dugan didn’t mention her next project.

In a separate statement provided by a Facebook spokeswoman, Dugan tied her departure to the tech industry’s broader reckoning with the way their products are used for harm. “There is a tidal shift going on in Silicon Valley, and those of us in this industry have greater responsibilities than ever before,” Dugan said in the statement. “The timing feels right to step away and be purposeful about what’s next, thoughtful about new ways to contribute in times of disruption.”

Building 8 focuses on bleeding-edge ideas, such as technology that can allow people to type directly from their brains and “hear” with their skin.

An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.

Also popular on WSJ.com:

George Soros transfers $18 billion to his foundation, creating an instant giant.

Enjoy that cup of coffee! Your total comes to $55.