"Mark Zuckerberg changed his company's name to Meta in October 2021 because he believed the future was virtual. Not just sort-of virtual, like Instagram filters or Zoom calls, but capital-V Virtual: immersive 3D worlds where you'd work, socialize, and live a parallel digital life through a VR headset. Four years and roughly $70 billion in cumulative Reality Labs losses later, Meta is quietly dismantling that vision."
"The official line now is that Meta is pivoting to AI and wearables. Zuckerberg spent much of 2025 building what he calls a "superintelligence" lab, hiring top-tier AI talent with eye-watering compensation packages that are now one of the largest drivers of Meta's 2026 expense growth. The company released Llama models that benchmark decently against OpenAI and Google, embedded chatbots into WhatsApp and Instagram, and talks constantly about "AI agents" and "new media formats.""
Mark Zuckerberg renamed the company Meta in October 2021 to pursue fully immersive 3D virtual worlds accessed through VR headsets. After roughly four years the Reality Labs division accumulated about $70–$80 billion in operating losses. In January 2026 Meta cut around 1,500 metaverse jobs, closed multiple VR game studios, and discontinued the Workrooms VR meeting app. Leadership shifted focus toward artificial intelligence and wearables, creating a "superintelligence" lab and hiring top-tier AI talent. Meta released Llama models, integrated chatbots into WhatsApp and Instagram, and promoted concepts like AI agents. No singular AI consumer product has yet achieved widespread popularity. Meanwhile a $300 pair of smart glasses gained real-world traction with limited publicity.
Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News
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