Meta is laying off the team behind its viral Ray-Ban smart glasses in latest sacking spree
Meta. since the last year, has slashed around 21,000 jobs. Photo: dailyO
It seems like the layoff season is far from over, and this time it's the parent company of Facebook and Instagram that is notoriously known for its layoffs - Meta. The company is preparing to cut jobs in the Reality Labs division, according to Reuters.
What
The Reality Labs division, the team in charge of designing specialized chipsets for the company, will see layoffs today (October 4).
According to a Reuters report, the company has already used its professional networking platform to inform employees about the upcoming layoffs.
The report indicates that the layoffs will occur today, with affected employees being informed about their employment status at that time.
Who will be affected
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Meta has not officially confirmed the layoffs, but according to the report, it appears that the cuts will primarily affect the team referred to as the Facebook Agile Silicon Team or FAST.
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The FAST unit, consisting of approximately 600 employees, has been dedicated to designing custom chips to improve the performance and efficiency of Meta's devices, setting them apart in the emerging AR/VR market.
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These potential layoffs carry significant importance, as they could have an impact on Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's ambitious project to develop augmented and virtual reality products that provide access to immersive virtual worlds, commonly known as the "metaverse."
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This includes the creation of AR glasses that Zuckerberg believes will revolutionize how we interact with technology.
At #MetaConnect, CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveils new Meta Quest 3, Ray Bans smartglasses, and new AI chat features. Here's everything you missed. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/AYWwBKvvZR
— CNET (@CNET) September 27, 2023
- However, Meta has encountered challenges in producing competitive chips internally and has sought the assistance of chipmaker Qualcomm to manufacture chips for its existing devices.
- This layoff comes after Meta, in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, unveiled their latest iteration of our smart glasses collection under the Ray-Ban Meta brand in Meta Quest 3.
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are live! They take great photos and 1080p video with the all-new 12MP camera. Speakers have 50% higher max volume and double the bass. And they come with a built-in Meta AI assistant (beta starting in US) and livestreaming to FB/IG. Still starting at… pic.twitter.com/xmImp1aAQl
— Boz (@boztank) September 27, 2023
According to Meta, these new smart glasses have been completely revamped, with enhancements to all the fundamental aspects compared to the initial generation. They also introduce innovative features like the devices being capable of streaming video and communicating with wearers through an AI virtual assistant.
READ MORE: Smart glasses have been around for a while, so why is Meta charging Rs 24k for its Ray-Ban glasses?
Meta's layoff spring
In May 2023, Meta's owner, Mark Zuckerberg, announced that this year's layoffs would happen in the spring, but that "in a small number of cases, it may take through the end of the year to complete these changes."
And it looks like Mark stuck to his words, as Meta, since November 2022, has slashed around 21,000 jobs. According to Reuters, the layoff was also done to reassure investors that it was reining in costs amid waning revenue growth, high inflation, and concerns that Reality Labs were losing too much money.