Meta CTO Predicts 2025 as Pivotal Year for AR/VR or ‘Legendary Misadventure’
Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, has identified 2025 as a potentially defining year for the company’s augmented and virtual reality endeavors. In a memo published earlier this year, Boz, one of Meta’s first 15 engineers, suggested that 2025 could either mark the triumph of Reality Labs or see the metaverse relegated to a “legendary misadventure.”
During a recent interview with Bloomberg Technology, Boz emphasized the importance of the coming year. “We’ll judge at the end of the decade, but this does feel like the pivotal year,” he stated, highlighting the critical nature of Meta’s progress in the AR/VR space.
One significant success for Meta has been the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. According to The Verge, Meta has sold over 2 million pairs since their launch in October 2023. These glasses have even outsold traditional Ray-Bans in some stores, even before the full rollout of AI features.
The success of Meta’s smart glasses has spurred competition. Google has announced partnerships with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to develop smart glasses based on Android XR, as reported by TechCrunch. Additionally, Apple is reportedly planning to release its own smart glasses in 2026, according to Bloomberg.
Boz noted that the increased competition validates Meta’s efforts. “Suddenly, we go from toiling in the realms of obscurity to being very much in the world with a product that is very attractive to consumers, and thus competitors,” he said. “The clock has started on competition coming, and that just means that the progress we make in this year is of disproportionate value to any year before or after it closes.”
However, Boz emphasized that market adoption is crucial for the standardization of AR and VR technology. He referenced advice from former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, stating that internal execution is more critical than focusing solely on the competition. “Sheryl used to always talk about how most companies don’t fail because they got beaten by a competitor,” Boz said. “Most companies fail because they didn’t execute their own plan correctly.”
Meta has ambitious plans for the year and is currently on track to meet them. The success of these plans will determine whether 2025 truly becomes a pivotal year for Meta’s AR/VR ambitions.
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