Meta and eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica are reportedly considering doubling their capacity to produce Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses from 10 million to 20 million by the end of the year. If demand continues to grow, they could boost the capacity to 30 million, Bloomberg reported Tuesday (Jan. 13), citing unnamed sources.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) is reportedly laying off 10% of its Reality Labs workforce, highlighting the ongoing challenges within its metaverse division. While the segment has struggled with massive financial losses and stagnant adoption, Meta's strategic pivot toward AI has begun to reshape investor expectations.
The cuts are expected to hit teams working on virtual-reality headsets and Meta's VR-based social network.
Meta Platforms, Inc. remains a Buy despite the recent 20% pullback and concerns over heavy capex spending. FY25 capex guidance was raised to $70–$72 billion, with even larger dollar growth expected in 2026. Still, we note that Meta's ad revenue is accelerating, supporting heavy AI-driven capex plans and offsetting macro headwinds.
Brazil's competition watchdog has ordered WhatsApp to put on hold its policy that bars third-party AI companies from using its business API to offer chatbots on the app. The agency has also started an investigation against the company to determine if the policy is anti-competitive.
Meta reportedly plans to eliminate 10% of the jobs in its Reality Labs unit. That's according to a report Monday (Jan. 12) by Bloomberg News, which characterizes the move as part of a larger plan by Meta to reduce its focus on virtual reality products as it concentrates on other artificial intelligence (AI) wearables.
Meta Platforms has become attractively valued after consolidating around $650 from its overheated $800 AI-driven highs. The social media company faces AI execution issues, though the ads tool is seeing robust results across the social media platforms. Meta is rumored to cut Reality Labs spending by 30%, signaling a strategic pullback from excessive Metaverse spending.
In the closing of the recent trading day, Meta Platforms (META) stood at $641.97, denoting a -1.7% move from the preceding trading day.
Meta unveils new Checkpoint performance program with higher bonuses for top employees. The updated system introduces four performance ratings and rewards exceptional impact at Meta.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
When Meta announced capital expenditure projections last year, the company made it known that it planned to spend big to build out capacity for its AI business. “We expect that developing leading AI infrastructure will be a core advantage in developing the best AI models and product experiences,” said Susan Li, Meta CFO, during an earnings call last summer.
Meta plans layoffs in Reality Labs, affecting the teams behind VR headsets and Horizon Worlds. The restructuring follows major financial losses and a strategic shift toward AI.