Meta's Chief Technology Officer, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, a foundational engineer at the company, has indicated that 2025 could be a defining year for Reality Labs, Meta's augmented and virtual reality division. Earlier this year, Bosworth penned a memo outlining two potential outcomes for the metaverse initiative: it could either achieve greatness or be remembered as a "legendary misadventure." Currently, Bosworth appears more optimistic about its potential for success, though he acknowledges that market reception will ultimately decide its fate.

During a Bloomberg Technology interview, Bosworth emphasized the significance of the current period, stating, “We’ll judge at the end of the decade, but this does feel like the pivotal year.” He highlighted the breakthrough success of Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses, which have resonated strongly with consumers and attracted attention from competitors. Since their debut in October 2023, Meta has sold over 2 million pairs as of February, with sales even surpassing traditional Ray-Bans last fall, prior to the rollout of AI features.

The competitive landscape is intensifying. Google recently announced partnerships with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to develop smart glasses based on Android XR. Apple is also reportedly planning to release its own smart glasses in 2026. Bosworth commented on this development, saying, “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. 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.”

Despite the growing competition, Bosworth stressed that market adoption of Meta's AR and VR products is crucial for driving industry-wide standardization. He referred to market response as a “trailing indicator,” especially for hardware, suggesting the need for internal confidence and vision. He recalled advice from Sheryl Sandberg, Meta's former COO, who often said that companies typically fail due to poor execution of their own plans rather than being outperformed by competitors. Consequently, Bosworth prioritizes his team's focus on meeting their internal standards over fixating on the competitive environment.

Bosworth affirmed that Meta has “a set of ambitious plans for the year” and is on track to achieve them. He concluded, “What we’ll know by the end of the year is whether we executed on our plan or not. What we’ll know in five years time is whether that was enough.”