- Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, has stressed the importance of 2025 for the metaverse’s success.
- He emphasized the need to boost sales, retention, and engagement, particularly for mixed reality and Horizon Worlds on mobile.
- Bosworth highlighted the launch of six new AI-powered wearable products as crucial to their strategy.
- He compared the current situation to the creation of the Macintosh, emphasizing the potential for “insanely great” work.
As originally reported by MSN, Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, has issued a stark warning about the future of the company’s metaverse ambitions, according to an internal memo seen by Business Insider. Bosworth declared 2025 as a critical year, determining whether Meta’s foray into the metaverse will be remembered as a visionary triumph or a “legendary misadventure.”
In the memo, titled “2025: The Year of Greatness,” Bosworth urged employees to focus on driving sales, retention, and engagement, especially within the mixed reality (MR) space. He specifically called out the need for Horizon Worlds on mobile to achieve a breakthrough, stating that its success is vital for Meta’s long-term metaverse plans. “If you don’t feel the weight of history on you then you aren’t paying attention,” he wrote, underscoring the significance of the coming year.
Bosworth revealed that Meta’s Reality Labs division is planning to launch half a dozen new AI-powered wearable devices, though he did not provide specific details or a timeline. He also drew a parallel to the creation of the Macintosh computer, referencing Steven Levy’s book “Insanely Great” and highlighting the success of small, dedicated teams. He noted that he has observed smaller teams within Meta achieving better results than those with more generous funding.
The memo comes as Meta has been making significant moves within its Reality Labs division. Recent organizational changes include shifting the reporting lines of key executives and placing the unit previously led by COO Dan Reed under the management of Meta’s overall COO, Javier Olivan. These changes suggest that the metaverse division is becoming an even greater priority for the company.
Despite reporting a record $1.08 billion in revenue for Reality Labs in the fourth quarter, the division also incurred its largest-ever quarterly operating loss of $4.97 billion. Since 2020, the division has accumulated losses of approximately $60 billion.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently told employees to “buckle up” for an “intense year” and acknowledged that while the company sold over 1 million AI-powered smart glasses in 2024, this was just a “great start” and not enough to significantly impact the business. He added that 2025 will be crucial in determining the long-term viability of smart glasses as a prominent computing platform. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
