Meta could axe up to one-third of its 'metaverse' budget next year

"Meta, which changed its name from Facebook to align itself with the metaverse, has poured billions into building out its vision for virtual worlds over the past few years. But CEO Mark Zuckerberg has since shifted the company's focus to developing AI superintelligence with a series of high-profile hires. It most recently added former Apple UI designer Alan Dye to its team, who will oversee the design of "hardware, software and AI integration for its interfaces.""

"Zuckerberg asked Meta executives to "look for 10% cuts across the board" as part of its annual budget planning process, according to Bloomberg. However, the outlet reports that Zuckerberg asked the metaverse division, which exists within Meta's Reality Labs, to slash expenses even more, "given that Meta has not seen the level of industry-wide competition over the technology that it once expected.""

"As part of the potential cuts, Meta could reportedly begin laying off metaverse staff as early as January. Reality Labs has lost over $70 billion since the beginning of 2021, Bloomberg reports, with Meta's most recent earnings report revealing that the division continues to bleed cash."

Meta may reduce its metaverse budget by as much as 30 percent next year, which would affect the Reality Labs unit responsible for Quest headsets and Horizon Worlds. CEO Mark Zuckerberg asked executives to seek 10% cuts across the board while requesting deeper reductions for the metaverse division due to weaker-than-expected industry competition. The company has shifted focus toward AI superintelligence and hired former Apple designer Alan Dye to oversee hardware, software, and AI interface integration. Reality Labs has lost more than $70 billion since 2021, and metaverse layoffs could begin as early as January.

Read at The Verge