Meta has just announced a new wave of layoffs. The social media giant has decided to separate itself from around a hundred employees at Reality Labs, the division dedicated to developing technologies related to the metaverse, reports Bloomberg. Meta confirms a new round of layoffs, but refuses to reveal the number of employees ousted from the company.
The fired employees worked primarily on virtual reality experiences for Meta's Quest headsets. It turns out that the budget cuts particularly affected the teams responsible for Supernatural, the VR fitness game acquired by the group for more than $400 million in 2021. On the game's Facebook page, the Supernatural teams announced "the departure of several members", following "significant changes within our organization".
Changes in structure and roles at Reality Labs
Some of the people laid off also worked on the group's headsets. By reducing the number of Reality Labs employees, Meta is obviously looking to save money. In a press release, a Meta spokesperson explains that "Some teams within Oculus Studios are undergoing structural and role changes that have impacted the team size." These changes are intended to "help the studios work more efficiently on future mixed reality experiences for our growing audience, while still delivering great content to people today.".
The Reality Chasm Virtual Reality at Meta
The Metaverse division, which has become a financial pit with losses of more than $58 billion, has suffered several rounds of budget cuts in recent years. Meta has gradually reduced the size of Reality Labs, notably by restructuring its way of operating and separating from some of its employees.
This new tightening of the screw comes as the virtual reality market continues to plummet, with sales down 12% by 2024. While Quest headsets are struggling to sell, Meta's smart Ray-Ban glasses are enjoying colossal success worldwide. Building on this success, Meta plans to launch a pair of glasses equipped with a screen. Earlier this year, Meta had already laid off more than 3,000 employees across the company last January. Mark Zuckerberg said they are «not good enough».
Source: Bloomberg
0 Comments