CTO Predicts 2025 as a Key Year for Meta’s AR and VR Advances

Man, where do I even start with this? So, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, Meta’s tech wizard, and one of their OG engineers – like, one of the first 15 or something – throws out this wild memo earlier this year. He’s got this gut feeling that 2025 might be the year Reality Labs knocks it out of the park with their AR/VR gig. Or, y’know, maybe it’ll all crash and burn. Total facepalm moment kinda thing. Seriously, who can tell these days?

Anyway, Boz seems pretty pumped about all this. It’s like, maybe he’s onto something big? Or he’s just vibing the potential. But then again, the market’s the real judge here. So whatever Boz says, it’s like, meh, we’ll see, right?

Flash forward to Thursday. So, Boz is chatting on Bloomberg Technology, all hyped about these Ray-Ban AI glasses Meta’s been flaunting. I mean, who would’ve thought sunglasses could get this cool, right? They’ve sold over 2 million pairs since their big debut in Oct ’23. And get this – last fall, they actually beat out the classic Ray-Bans before Meta even slapped on the AI fanciness. Wild, huh?

Meanwhile, Google’s like, “Hold my latte,” teaming up with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to whip up their own flashy smart specs powered by Android XR. And then there’s Apple, possibly cooking up something similar for 2026. Honestly, it’s a techy jungle out there.

Boz is all like, “Hey, one moment we’re just dreaming up this stuff, next moment, boom, we’re shaking things up for real.” He’s got this clock-ticking-on-the-competition vibe, where making strides this year counts way more than before – or, you know, after it ticks out.

But here’s the kicker: competition ain’t the full story if Meta’s AR and VR doesn’t get picked up by the masses. That’s what’ll really push these gadgets into the mainstream. Boz reckons the market’s actually slow on the uptake for hardware. So it’s about spotting these little clues early and trusting your gut sometimes. Sheryl Sandberg taught him that, apparently. She always said, “Companies don’t trip because of rivals; they stumble over their own feet.” Kinda makes you think, huh? They just gotta nail their own game plan.

So, Boz is brimming with ambition for the year, on this mission to stick the landing on their goals. And by New Year’s Eve or whatever, he’ll know if they hit or missed. But whether they scored big? That’s a 5-year wait-and-see thing.

And there you have it. There’s a lot to digest, right? Keep an eye on Reality Labs; could be quite a ride. Or not. I mean, who can really predict the future?