Meta, the birthplace of Metaverse, is hitting some bumps in the road to its vision. The company plans to lay off employees from its Reality Labs division, which focuses on creating custom silicon for AR/VR devices, according to inside sources. This news comes amid concerns about Meta’s ability to develop competitive custom silicon and places question marks over its collaboration with external providers like Qualcomm.
The custom silicon unit of Meta has around 600 employees
Employees got wind of the layoffs via Meta’s internal discussion forum, Workplace, which indicated that they would be notified of their status by Wednesday morning. While a Meta spokesperson stayed mum on the issue, the move could potentially hinder CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s goal to redefine how we interact with technology through augmented and virtual reality. The custom silicon unit, known as Facebook Agile Silicon Team (FAST), employs roughly 600 people and aims to make Meta’s devices stand out in the growing AR/VR market.
The layoff news may be a sign of larger issues at Meta Platforms. The company has already cut around 21,000 jobs since last November, primarily to appease investors worried about slowed revenue growth and high operating costs. This layoff could be another cost-cutting move, especially as Reality Labs has been bleeding money. It also poses questions about Meta’s commitment to internal innovation, particularly as the company has turned to external chip maker Qualcomm for its currently marketed devices.
Despite these setbacks, Meta is not taking its foot off the pedal in its drive toward a metaverse. The company is still working on new products like less bulky AR glasses and smart watches, expected to be finalized next year, albeit not for mass consumer release initially.
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