Meta is gearing up for another wave of layoffs, this time affecting members of its Reality Labs division working under the silicon unit, sources told Reuters.
According to a post in the tech giant's internal forum, employees to be laid off will be notified by the company on Wednesday. However, it remains unknown how many workers are affected.
The Facebook Agile Silicon Team (FAST), comprising about 600 members, is dedicated to creating specialized chips for Meta's devices. These chips aim to enhance performance and efficiency primarily for its AR/VR headsets.
Meta Prepares for Quest 3 Launch
The layoffs come ahead of the release of Meta's new mixed-reality VR headset Quest 3, which will officially launch on October 10.
The headset, which will retail for $499, features a new Snapdragon chipset and a visor slimmer by 40% compared to its predecessor.
While Meta's upcoming AR/VR headset has garnered significant promise according to early sightings of the device, the recent layoffs hint at underlying struggles within the company and its goals to make 2023 its "Year of Efficiency."
The layoffs also align with the company's plans to team up with LG Electronics to create a future premium line of Quest MR headsets, which are expected to come out in 2025.
Meta Plans To Cut 10,000 Employees
In March, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would be laying off roughly 10,000 workers starting in April, affecting those working on user experience, software engineering, and graphics programming.
The decision came as part of Meta's "Year of Efficiency" — its efforts to reduce costs, flatten the organization, and streamline management.
Edited by Nikola Djuric
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