Meta's Major Reorganization of RealityLabs for Focus on AR and Metaverse

TapTechNews June 19th news, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced a major reorganization of its hardware department, RealityLabs, which is the largest reorganization since the department was renamed in 2020. This move reflects Meta's evolving strategy, and the company will focus more on augmented reality (AR) and the metaverse field.

After the reorganization, RealityLabs will mainly be divided into two parts:

The metaverse: This department covers the Quest headset series, Horizon (Meta's social network), and related technologies.

Wearable devices: This new department includes the rest of Meta's hardware business, such as smart glasses in cooperation with Ray-Ban.

TapTechNews noticed that this reorganization is also accompanied by layoffs, but Meta did not disclose the specific number. Sources said that the layoff scale is relatively small, mainly targeting leadership positions that have become redundant due to organizational restructuring.

Meta's chief technology officer, Andrew 'Boz' Bosworth, outlined the reasons for this change in an internal memo, emphasizing the company's commitment to AR and the metaverse. Bosworth wrote: 'We currently have the leading AI device in the market, and we are redoubling our efforts to find a strong product-market fit point for wearable MetaAI, build a business around it and expand the user group. Overlaying digital content seamlessly onto the physical world remains our goal, but the steps to achieve this goal have become more exciting.'

The memo also emphasized Meta's continued commitment to Horizon, although its user growth is currently slow.

These changes seem to reflect the much-needed streamlining and optimization of RealityLabs. Previously, the department's architecture seemed cumbersome and difficult to manage. This reorganization assigns key leadership positions to Alex Himel, the head of the wearable device department, and Vishal Shah, who is now in charge of both Horizon and the Quest series.

Meta's investment in AR remains unwavering. The company is expected to announce more details of its upcoming AR glasses later this year, and the next-generation Ray-Ban glasses with a display are expected to be released next year.

Bosworth wrote in his memo: 'The organizational structure is not the main factor that determines our success or failure, but the execution. But I hope that in this way, we can reduce operating expenses and allow people from different teams to come together and view our customers and how to better serve them with a more unified perspective.'