Meta: “This is a breakthrough year for metaspace”

Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth revealed in an internal meeting that metaverse has a year to become a hit, a period that will determine whether Reality Labs' mixed reality efforts are "the work of visionaries or a legendary failure."

“We have the best product portfolio we’ve ever had in the market, and we’re extending that lead with the launch of half a dozen new AI-powered wearables. We need to drive sales, retention and engagement across the board, but especially in mixed reality (MR). And Horizon Worlds on mobile needs to take hold for our long-term plans to have any chance,” says Bosworth.

Even Mark Zuckerberg, the alpha and omega of Meta, recently emphasized that they have a busy year ahead of them. He stressed to his employees that they must maintain their leading position among manufacturers of smart glasses and other devices.

Bosworth says that while 2024 was Reality Labs’ best year yet, “they haven’t really made a difference in the world.” The department has lost quite a few members recently. First, a wave of layoffs, but also a number of employees have been moved to other departments, including the artificial intelligence department and the Meta Ray-Bans smart glasses, which are a pleasant surprise. But that shouldn’t be a hindrance, because the department doesn’t “need a big team to do great work,” Bosworth says.

He concludes his piece by saying that the team doesn't need "a bunch of new ideas," but rather that the majority of the group "just needs to do the work they've been given to do to succeed." As for what will happen if Horizon Worlds (Meta's metaverse app) doesn't become a hit next year, it's enough to remember Bosworth's words, "a legendary failure."

Will the metaverse really be able to have as noticeable an impact as they want it to? We'll see, but it seems more like this message heralded the countdown to the closure of the Mixed Reality department.