Meta’s 2025: VR & AR Boom or Bust?
The Make-or-Break Year for Meta’s Metaverse Dreams
Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth has positioned 2025 as a potential inflection point for Reality Labs, the company’s augmented reality and virtual reality division. In a revealing Bloomberg interview, Bosworth outlined how this year could either cement Meta’s leadership in spatial computing or mark its metaverse ambitions as a failed experiment.
Early Successes Fuel Optimism
Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have emerged as an unexpected hit, with over 2 million units sold since their October 2023 launch. The AI-powered wearables have even outsold traditional Ray-Ban sunglasses in some markets. This consumer adoption has boosted confidence in Meta’s hardware strategy.
Competition Heats Up in AR/VR Space
The landscape is evolving rapidly with new entrants:
- Google partnered with Warby Parker for Android XR glasses
- Apple plans smart glasses for 2026
“We’ve gone from obscurity to being in a hotly contested market,” Bosworth noted, emphasizing the need for accelerated innovation.
The Execution Challenge
Bosworth stressed that success hinges on Meta’s ability to deliver:
- Compelling AR/VR hardware experiences
- Must-have use cases for consumers
- Proprietary technological breakthroughs
Learning From Sheryl Sandberg’s Playbook
The Meta executive shared insights from former COO Sheryl Sandberg: “Most companies fail not because of competitors, but because they fail to execute their own vision.” This philosophy now guides Reality Labs’ focus on internal milestones rather than reactive competition.
The Long Game for Spatial Computing
Bosworth acknowledges that true market validation for VR and AR technologies will take years: “We’ll know our 2025 execution by year-end, but the impact won’t be clear until 2030.” The coming months will reveal whether Meta can maintain its early lead as the spatial computing race intensifies.