Meta’s CTO, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, one of the original gang of fifteen engineers—yep, those were the days—penned this memo earlier in the year. It’s a toss-up, really. By 2025, Reality Labs, the AR and VR wing of Meta, could either be legendary or the stuff of facepalms. Personally, I’ve got my popcorn ready.
Anyway, Boz, more optimistic these days it seems, figures greatness is within reach. But the market might just laugh in his face. Hard to say, never really know until—you know—stuff actually happens.
“We’ll call it at the end of the decade,” he said on Bloomberg Technology. Feels like now’s the critical moment, even though the horizon seems anything but clear.
The Ray-Ban AI shades? People are all over them. Funny thing, they’ve sold over 2 million since their big entrance in October 2023. Outsold the classic ones even before the AI magic was visible. Meanwhile, Google’s cozying up with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker for their own Android XR glasses. And whispers about Apple planning some shiny spectacles for 2026? Yeah, happening.
“Went from being the underdogs to having a product everyone, seriously everyone, is eyeing,” Boz said. It’s like the competition dialed up overnight, and now it’s a race, a real sprint to keep the edge sharp before the year wraps up.
Yet, even with all the players lining up, if the market gives Meta’s AR and VR the cold shoulder, it’s game over. Validation is a cruel mistress, really.
Boz’s words of wisdom: “The market’s a backward-looking beast, especially with hardware. You’ve gotta sniff out those early signs. Trust your gut, kinda like what I picked up from Sheryl Sandberg.”
Sheryl—she’d always nail the truth about companies biting the dust. Not usually because of rivals but more often due to botched plans. So, Boz has his team dialing into their own blueprint rather than always side-eyeing the competition.
This year, Boz says they’re aiming big. Staying on target. “By year’s end, either we’re on track or not. Five years down? That’s the true test of whether we nailed it or flopped.”
