The Economic Times

Meta began 2026 with a sharp cut of over 1,000 Reality Labs jobs are Facebook or Instagram affected, or is Apple and Googles AI wearables competition responsible?

Meta began 2026 with a major workforce reset, cutting over 1,000 jobs from its Reality Labs division. The layoffs, affecting nearly 10% of the unit, started on January 13 and mark the first big Bay Area tech cuts of the year. Meta says Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are not impacted. This move addresses $71 billion in losses since 2021. CTO Andrew Bosworth is now shifting capital toward AI-integrated wearables and smart glasses. This restructuring prioritizes immediate AI consumer hardware over long-term metaverse speculation to counter rising competition from Apple, Google, and Samsungs newest 2026 platforms.