Meta to Slash Over 1,500 Roles in Reality Labs Amid AI Pivot

• Meta plans to lay off over 1,500 employees in its Reality Labs division, impacting virtual reality and VR-based social network teams.
• The layoffs represent about 10% of Reality Labs' 15,000 workforce, signaling a shift away from the metaverse vision.
• CEO Mark Zuckerberg is redirecting significant funds from metaverse projects to AI research and infrastructure, aiming to compete with OpenAI and Google.
• Andrew Bosworth, CTO of Reality Labs, has called an 'important' all-hands meeting, fueling speculation about the layoff announcement.
• Meta will reallocate funding to its wearables division (smart glasses, wristband devices) as a more practical bridge between physical and digital worlds.

Why It Matters: Meta is shifting focus from its metaverse vision to AI, leading to significant layoffs in Reality Labs.