Meta laid off an unspecified number of employees within its Reality Labs division, which focuses on hardware and virtual reality. The layoffs impacted teams within its Oculus Studio, a.k.a. virtual reality gaming division, and Supernatural, a.k.a. the VR fitness app it acquired. The move is part of the company's broader restructuring effort within the division. It also follows a larger round of job cuts earlier this year, which also affected the Reality Labs team.
Meta's Chief Technology Officer and Reality Labs chief, Andrew Bosworth, described in a memo obtained by Business Insider that 2025 is a "critical" year for the division's metaverse ambitions. And you'll see this in the 495 open positions within Reality Labs, which affected employees can apply for. Those who do not find a new role within Meta will have a termination date of May 23, 2025.
Meta has also reorganized the leadership within Reality Labs, with its Chief Operating Officer Javier Olivan now overseeing the division. It indicates a greater focus the company is putting on the area.