Meta Reality Labs division will cut more than 1,000 jobs, know the reason

Updated: 13-01-2026, 06.15 AM

What is the news?

MetaReality is planning layoffs in the Labs division, the team responsible for virtual reality, the metaverse, and experimental hardware. According to the report, the company may lay off about 10 percent of the employees at Reality Labs. The division employs about 15,000 people, which means the layoffs could affect more than 1,000 people. This step is being taken to cut the budget and focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Layoffs may be announced soon

new York Times According to the report, the final number of employees to be laid off could exceed 10 percent. Its announcement is likely to be made on January 13. Meta’s chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth, who oversees Reality Labs, has also called the most important meeting of the year on Wednesday. Employees have been requested to attend in person, although it has not been revealed what topics will be discussed at the meeting.

The company is doing layoffs due to this reason

At the heart of this decision is a major change in priorities by Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg. Over the past year he has pressured senior executives to cut future budgets so that Meta can devote more resources to building next-generation AI systems. The company is facing increasing pressure from rival companies like OpenAI and Google and hence AI is now its most important strategic plan.