In Meta dismissed an unspecified number of employees a division of Reality Labs that develops VR applications.
According to knowledgeable sources, the layoffs occurred in teams of employees from the Oculus Studios division, that develops games for Quest VR headsets and some hardware developers. In particular, some of the developers of the Supernatural fitness game were fired. Meta had previously paid $400 million for the rights to this game and then successfully won a lawsuit against the US antitrust authorities that tried to block the sale of this game.
According to Meta representative Tracy Clayton, a number of teams from the Oculus Studios division have undergone structural changes, which affected the team’s staff. She assured that the changes are intended to help the unit work more efficiently on augmented reality applications.
«We remain committed to investing in augmented reality projects, including fitness and gaming, and our commitment to delivering the best possible projects for the Quest and Supernatural communities remains unchanged», — Tracy Clayton emphasized.
As at December 31, 2024 total number Meta’s staff totaled 74 thousand 67 people. Reality Labs, the division responsible for the development and marketing of the Quest headset line, reported a loss of $5 billion in the fourth quarter.
How much did Zuckerberg spend on «metaverse»
Over the past 4 years, the Meta has invested $45 billion in the development of the metaverse concept, but has achieved little. According to many former employees of the Reality Labs division, the division remains dysfunctional and disorganized. Constant personnel changes have wreaked havoc, as many managers have come from other Meta divisions, despite their lack of experience in AR and VR.
Reality Labs’ losses grew from year to year: more than $6 billion in 2020, $10 billion in 2021, $13 billion in 2022, and finally $16 billion in 2023. The first quarter of 2024 showed a loss of another $3.6 billion. Despite the financial difficulties, CEO Mark Zuckerberg continues to express confidence in Meta’s long-term commitment to augmented and virtual reality technologies.
Source: The Verge
Spelling error report
The following text will be sent to our editors: