John Carmack
Born 1970 · Age 55
American computer programmer, co‑founder of id Software, lead programmer of Commander Keen/Wolfenstein/Doom/Quake, founder of Armadillo Aerospace, former Oculus CTO, now working on AGI with Keen Technologies.
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Life & Career Timeline
School break-in, arrest and juvenile home placement
At age 14 Carmack and others broke into a school to steal Apple II computers; arrested, sent for psychiatric evaluation and sentenced to a year in a juvenile home.
Attended University of Missouri–Kansas City (two semesters)
Enrolled in computer‑science classes for two semesters before withdrawing to pursue freelance programming.
Began professional career; Softdisk hire
Hired by Softdisk in Shreveport, Louisiana; worked on Softdisk G-S and met John Romero, Adrian Carmack and others who would form id Software.
Adopted business practice 'when it's done'
Carmack and id adopted the practice of avoiding strict release dates, famously replying 'when it's done' for release timing; later he partially recanted this stance.
Released Commander Keen (Invasion of the Vorticons)
Carmack programmed Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons (released Dec 14, 1990); introduced adaptive tile refresh technique.
Adaptive tile refresh innovation (Commander Keen)
Invented/adopted 'adaptive tile refresh' technique used in Commander Keen to optimize 2D/early 3D rendering.
Commander Keen series published via Apogee (shareware)
Commander Keen series published by Apogee under the shareware distribution model, leading to wide recognition.
Co‑founded id Software
Left Softdisk and co‑founded id Software with John Romero, Tom Hall and others.
Ray‑casting and early 3D work (Hovertank/Catacomb/Wolfenstein)
Developed and used ray‑casting techniques for Hovertank 3D and Catacomb 3‑D; groundwork for Wolfenstein 3D.
Released Wolfenstein 3D
id Software released Wolfenstein 3D (May 5, 1992), a hit that popularized the first‑person shooter genre.
Binary space partitioning (BSP) used in Doom
Doom was the first game to use binary space partitioning (BSP) effectively; Carmack popularized its use in game engines.
Released Doom
Doom released Dec 10, 1993; major leap in graphical realism and multiplayer; used BSP techniques pioneered by Carmack.
Purchased Ferraris after id success
By mid‑1994 Carmack had purchased at least two Ferraris (a 328 and a Testarossa), reflecting significant personal wealth from id's success.
Released Doom II: Hell on Earth
Doom II released Sep 30, 1994 as a sequel to Doom.
Released Wolfenstein 3D source code
Carmack released the source code for Wolfenstein 3D (1995), an early major open‑source gesture.
Public Q&A / Slashdot engagement
Participated in public Q&A and posts (e.g., Slashdot Oct 15, 1999 is recorded; he maintained a dev blog and .plan for years), sharing technical insights and philosophy.
Invented 'surface caching' for Quake
Carmack invented surface caching used in Quake to speed rendering.
Recognized among most influential in gaming (GameSpot)
Named among the most influential people in computer gaming of the year and all time (#1 and #2 in GameSpot lists).
Released Quake
Quake released June 22, 1996; introduced surface caching and further 3D engine advances and multiplayer over Internet.
Released Doom source code (initial release)
Doom source code released in 1997 under a custom license (later re‑released under GPL in 1999).
Met future wife Katherine Anna Kang at QuakeCon
Met Katherine Anna Kang at QuakeCon 1997; she later challenged him to sponsor an all‑female Quake tournament (1,500 participants).
Quake source leak and Linux port collaboration
Quake source was leaked in 1997; community Linux port patches were accepted and used by id as a company‑sanctioned port rather than pursuing legal action.
Gave away Ferrari 328 prize at Red Annihilation tournament
Carmack awarded his Ferrari 328 as a prize to Dennis Fong, winner of the Quake Red Annihilation tournament.
Released Quake II
Quake II released Nov 30, 1997 (listed credits), continued id's engine evolution.
Expressed strong open‑source advocacy; GPL releases
Carmack repeatedly advocated open‑source software and released major id source code (Doom/Q uake) to the public under GPL by 1999; later expressed regret about GPL vs BSD.
Released source code under GPL
id released source for Doom (re‑released under GPL in 1999); Quake source code also released publicly in 1999.
Released Quake III Arena
Quake III Arena released Dec 2, 1999; engine popularized fast inverse square root routine.
Marriage to Katherine Anna Kang
Married Katherine Anna Kang on January 1, 2000 (met at QuakeCon 1997).
Founded Armadillo Aerospace (approx.)
Around 2000 Carmack began funding and operating Armadillo Aerospace, pursuing suborbital rocketry; self‑funded at ≈ "north of $1M/year."
Inducted into Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame
Inducted March 22, 2001 as the fourth person to receive the Hall of Fame honour.
Quake III: Team Arena release
Quake III: Team Arena released Dec 18, 2000 (listed in credits) and continued engine and multiplayer evolution.
Named to MIT Technology Review TR100
Included in the TR100 list of top innovators under age 35.
Featured in book 'Masters of Doom'
Carmack and id Software chronicled in David Kushner's Masters of Doom (2003).
Devised 'Carmack's Reverse' (z‑fail stencil shadows)
Devised the Carmack's Reverse algorithm for shadow volumes formally known as z‑fail stencil shadows, implemented in Doom 3.
Released Doom 3
Doom 3 released Aug 3, 2004; Carmack devised 'Carmack's Reverse' (z‑fail stencil shadows) for Doom 3.
Birth of son Christopher Ryan
Carmack and Katherine Kang had a son, Christopher Ryan (born Aug 13, 2004).
id and Carmack recognized in industry (Walk of Game / Emmys)
Added to Walk of Game (2006) and id awarded Emmys (2007) for technology; recognition of Carmack's engine work continued to grow.
Game Developers Conference Lifetime Achievement (2010) — cited earlier public appearances
Carmack later received the GDC Lifetime Achievement Award (March 11, 2010). He also frequently spoke at industry conferences around this period.
Awarded two Emmy Awards (id Software/tech)
In January 2007 Carmack and id Software were awarded two Emmy Awards for Science, Engineering & Technology categories.
MegaTexture technology first used (Enemy Territory: Quake Wars)
MegaTexture technology first used commercially in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (2007).
Appeared on Discovery Channel Daily Planet (rocketry)
Television appearance (Sept 2007) featuring Armadillo Aerospace rocket designs.
MegaTexture technology and mobile game idea
MegaTexture used in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (2007); in 2007 Carmack decided to make a 'good' mobile game after playing phone games on vacation.
Honored at 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards (Quake modifiability)
Recognized in 2008 for Quake's role in pioneering user modifiability; Carmack one of few game developers awarded multiple Emmys.
Armadillo Aerospace wins Lunar Lander Challenge Level 1
Armadillo won Level 1 of the NASA/X‑Prize Lunar Lander Challenge and $350,000 (Oct 2008).
Quake engines widely licensed
Carmack's engines licensed for many major shooters (Half‑Life, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor), generating substantial licensing revenue for id.
Named among top 100 game creators (IGN)
Ranked #10 in IGN's list of 100 top game creators of all time (2009).
Armadillo Aerospace completes Level 2 of Lunar Lander Challenge
Completed Level 2 (Sept 2009) and was awarded $500,000.
Birth of second son
Carmack and Kang's second son was born in November 2009.
Received GDC Lifetime Achievement Award
Awarded the Game Developers Conference Lifetime Achievement award (Mar 11, 2010).
Released Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil and Doom 3 engine continued use
Continued technical leadership on Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (2005 credits listed) and later Doom 3 BFG Edition (2012).
Released Doom 3 source code (id Tech 4) (public release)
Doom 3 source code released publicly in 2011 (and later BFG Edition 2012), continuing id's pattern of open code releases.
Doom 3 BFG Edition release (credited)
Doom 3 BFG Edition released Oct 16, 2012 (Carmack credited).
Armadillo Aerospace goes into hibernation mode
Carmack announced Armadillo Aerospace entered 'hibernation mode' in 2013.
Public criticism of ZeniMax and reasons for leaving id
Carmack stated he left id because parent company ZeniMax wouldn't support Oculus Rift; later his dual roles were central to litigation between ZeniMax and Oculus.
Joined Oculus VR as Chief Technology Officer
Announced Aug 7, 2013 that Carmack joined Oculus VR as CTO to help develop the Oculus Rift.
Resigned from id Software to work full‑time at Oculus
Resigned from id Software Nov 22, 2013 to focus on Oculus after ZeniMax (id's parent) declined to support the Rift.
Hovertank and Catacomb source code released (June 2014)
Flat Rock Software released source code for early id titles with Carmack's blessing (June 2014).
Oculus acquired by Facebook / Meta (context)
Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014 (noted in Britannica context); this corporate change set stage for later ZeniMax litigation involving Carmack's role.
Commented on Linux and emulation for gaming
In 2013–2014 Carmack publicly argued for emulation as the proper direction for gaming on Linux and expressed skepticism about native Linux gaming/Steam Machines.
Expressed regret about using GPL vs BSD for source releases
Later in his career Carmack said he regretted using the copyleft GPL rather than a permissive BSD license for some id code releases.
Hovertank 3D / Catacomb source code release (2014)
Source code for Hovertank 3D and Catacomb 3D (and earlier Catacomb) released in June 2014 by Flat Rock Software with Carmack's blessing.
Spoke at major conferences; continued public technical talks
Continued to present technical talks and keynotes (e.g., GDC 2015 on mobile VR) and remained a visible public speaker.
Spoke at Game Developers Conference 'The Dawn of Mobile VR'
Carmack presented on mobile VR at GDC 2015 (talk image and references).
BAFTA Fellowship Award
Awarded the BAFTA Fellowship (Mar 7, 2016) recognizing long‑term contributions to gaming and technology.
ZeniMax v. Oculus trial and jury verdict (liability for Oculus)
Trial over alleged theft of ZeniMax VR IP concluded in early 2017; jury held Oculus and some execs liable and awarded damages (~$500M), while absolving Carmack personally of liability.
Carmack sues ZeniMax for unpaid $22.5M
In Feb 2017 Carmack filed suit claiming $22.5M remained unpaid from ZeniMax's purchase of id Software.
Honorary Doctorate from University of Missouri–Kansas City
Received a Doctor of Engineering Honoris Causa from UMKC for work in cutting edge tech & computer science (May 3, 2017).
Reached settlement with ZeniMax
In Oct 2018 Carmack announced an agreement with ZeniMax and that the company 'fully satisfied their obligations' to him, ending the suit.
Stepped down to Consulting CTO at Oculus
On Nov 13, 2019 Carmack reduced his role to 'Consulting CTO' to allocate more time to AGI research.
Public statements on workstyle and bureaucracy at Meta
Carmack publicly discussed working 60‑hour weeks and later criticized bureaucratic inefficiencies he encountered at Meta.
Divorce (reported as of 2021)
Carmack is reported to be divorced as of 2021 from Katherine Anna Kang.
Announced divorce and partnership with Trista DeLeon
On May 26, 2022 Carmack announced his divorce and that he met his partner Trista DeLeon via VR Beat Saber events.
Raised $20M for Keen Technologies (AGI startup)
Announced raising $20 million for Keen Technologies, his AGI company (Aug 19, 2022).
Left Oculus to focus on Keen Technologies
On Dec 16, 2022 Carmack departed Oculus/Meta to focus full time on his AGI startup, Keen Technologies.
Keen Technologies (employer entry in public profiles)
Public profiles list Keen Technologies as Carmack's employer from 2023 onward (company active in AGI research).
Partnership with Richard S. Sutton for AI research
In September 2023 Carmack partnered with Richard S. Sutton (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) to further AI research.
Approximate net worth (public estimates)
Recent public estimates (various sources) place Carmack's net worth in the tens of millions (commonly ~$50M), reflecting proceeds from id, licensing, and later Oculus compensation and settlements.
Key Achievement Ages
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