Meta cuts 1,500 jobs as it pivots from VR to AI
Meta (the company behind Facebook and Instagram) just laid off about 1,500 people from its Reality Labs division—roughly 10% of that team.
The big reason? Meta is shifting focus from virtual reality (VR) to artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR).
Who was hit hardest?
Many of the layoffs hit folks working on VR hardware, Horizon OS, and Horizon Worlds. Plus, three game studios—Armature, Sanzaru, and Twisted Pixel—were shut down.
A few in-house studios like Camouflaj and BigBox are still hanging on.
Why the sudden change?
Reality Labs had lost over $77 billion in cumulative losses since its inception in 2020.
With those numbers, Meta's now putting more resources into AI gadgets and AR glasses instead of betting everything on the metaverse.
Fun fact:
When Meta rebranded in 2021, it went all-in on VR—but it's now making a sharp turn toward AI-powered tech.
Tech moves fast!