Meta’s Reality Labs Reboots: Splitting into Metaverse and Wearables Divisions

In recent news, Meta has undergone a restructuring of its department dedicated to virtual and augmented reality technologies, Reality Labs. As a result of this change, the division will now be split into two large groups: one focused on the metaverse and the other on wearable devices. Since 2020, Reality Labs has been responsible for researching and developing the company’s products around virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies, including hardware under the Quest brand (formerly known as Oculus).

The two new groups within Reality Labs are ‘Metaverse’, which will cover core work on future technologies, and ‘Wearables’, which will focus specifically on hardware development excluding Quest headsets. While some workers within Reality Labs have been let go as a result of these changes, the exact number of layoffs has not been specified.

This restructuring appears to be linked to Meta’s growing interest in promoting accessories such as the smart glasses launched in partnership with Ray-Ban, which now include support for the Meta AI assistant. These changes reflect Meta’s strategic shift towards advancing technology for the metaverse and wearables within the virtual and augmented reality space.