Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is reportedly planning to lay off employees within its Reality Labs division, specifically in the unit responsible for developing custom silicon for the metaverse-focused projects, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters.
Employees affected by the layoffs were reportedly informed of this development through a post on Meta’s internal discussion forum, Workplace. These employees are expected to receive notifications regarding their employment status by early Wednesday morning, as per one of the sources.
Meta has not officially commented on these reported plans for layoffs.
The extent of the cuts within the silicon unit, known as the Facebook Agile Silicon Team (FAST), remains undisclosed. FAST currently comprises approximately 600 employees, as per the second source.
FAST’s primary mission is to create custom chips to power augmented and virtual reality hardware developed by Meta’s Reality Labs division. Meta’s product lineup includes mixed reality headsets like the Quest and smart glasses developed in partnership with eyeglass maker EssilorLuxottica under the Ray-Ban brand. These smart glasses incorporate an artificial intelligence virtual assistant for video streaming and communication with users.
Meta recently announced new iterations of its smart glasses and unveiled the consumer-oriented Quest 3 headset during its annual Connect conference.
In addition to its current offerings, Meta is reportedly working on augmented reality glasses capable of projecting virtual objects onto transparent lenses, as well as associated smartwatches, according to one of the sources.
However, Meta has faced challenges in developing in-house silicon that can compete with external chip providers. As a result, the company has turned to chipmaker Qualcomm for its current devices, including the Quest headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses currently on the market.
