Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, Meta’s CTO and one of its first engineers, recently expressed optimism about the potential of Reality Labs, the company’s augmented and virtual reality unit. In a memo published earlier this year, he suggested that 2025 could either mark a significant milestone for Reality Labs or be remembered as a “legendary misadventure” for the metaverse. During a Bloomberg Technology interview, Boz indicated that he is currently leaning toward the former. He believes this year could be crucial, noting, “We’ll judge at the end of the decade, but this does feel like the pivotal year.”
He highlighted the success of Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses, which have sold over 2 million pairs since their launch in October 2023. Impressively, these glasses even outsold traditional Ray-Bans prior to the introduction of AI features. Competition is intensifying in the market as well, with Google announcing partnerships to produce smart glasses and Apple reportedly planning its own release in 2026. This surge in interest has energized the landscape, with Boz reflecting on how Meta’s product has shifted the company from obscurity to being a significant player.
He noted the importance of this year for fast-tracking progress, stating, “The clock has started on competition coming.” However, the success of Meta’s AR and VR offerings ultimately depends on market adoption. Boz emphasized this point, stating that while competition is rising, the key measure of success lies in the execution of Meta’s plans rather than the actions of competitors. He recalled lessons from Sheryl Sandberg, Meta’s former COO, about execution being more critical than competition.
Boz concluded that by the year’s end, they would evaluate their performance against their ambitious goals, with broader implications to be assessed in five years.