Meta plans to lay off approximately 10% of employees in its Reality Labs division. The New York Times reported Monday.
The division – which employs about 15,000 people – has a large presence in the Seattle area and is responsible for the company’s “metaverse” technologies that work together with augmented and virtual reality, including products such as VR headsets and a VR-based social network.
The Times cited people with knowledge of the layoff talks, which it said are coming at a time when the company is shifting priorities to build next-generation artificial intelligence.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment when reached by GeekWire.
Business insider reported that Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, the head of Reality Labs, called an all-hands meeting on Wednesday. Sources told BI that employees were strongly encouraged to attend in person.
Reality Labs currently represents approximately 19% of Meta’s total global workforce of approximately 78,000 employees.
Meta employs thousands of people across multiple offices in the Seattle area, one of the largest tech hubs outside of Menlo Park, California. Last October, the company laid off more than 100 employees in Washington state as part of a broader round of cuts within its artificial intelligence division.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited a Reality Labs facility in Redmond in 2022 to demonstrate how wearables such as wristbands can control devices with small muscle movements.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries cited Meta in November 2022 for alleged safety violations in a cleanroom at Meta’s “Matrix” facility in Redmond. The specially designed space is designed to filter pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes and aerosol particles. In January 2024, the state ordered the chamber closed.
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