Andrew Bosworth has his eyes set on 2025, and he’s not shy about calling it either the dawn of Reality Labs’ greatness or a legendary misadventure for Meta’s vision for the metaverse.
Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer, gave a candid interview on Thursday and made it clear that both excitement and uncertainty are running high. He pointed out that this year feels like the make-or-break moment, a turning point that could define the company’s next chapter in augmented and virtual reality.
The spotlight, he said, now shines brightest on Meta’s Ray Ban AI glasses, which have already sold over 2 million pairs since their launch in October. Consumers have snapped them up, even outpacing sales of the brand’s classic sunglasses before Meta added artificial intelligence features.
Competitors are watching closely. Google just revealed collaborations with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, hoping to bring their own smart eyewear, built on Android, into the spotlight.
A Surge in Competition and a Race to Innovate
Apple is not far behind, with insider chatter suggesting a 2026 launch for its own take on smart glasses. Once ignored by the big tech world, Meta’s product now sits center stage, capturing not only buyers’ interest but spurring rivals to act.
Bosworth believes this surge means every step taken this year carries more weight than ever. The “clock has started on competition,” he warned, and Meta cannot afford to stumble, not when the stakes are this high.
Yet Bosworth acknowledges that none of this means anything if people do not actually want what Meta is selling. It is the market that will ultimately decide whether the company’s expensive bet on AR and VR actually shapes the future, or fades away.
Hardware, he noted, trails behind in showing clear signs of where things are heading. Companies must look for subtle, early hints of acceptance.
Confidence is key, he said, referencing a lesson from former Meta executive Sheryl Sandberg. Most companies do not lose because competitors beat them—they lose because they did not carry out their own plans.
Bosworth’s current focus is keeping his team locked in on execution, not just watching the opposition.
Ambitious goals have been set and, so far, progress is on track. But he stressed that only time will reveal whether their effort this year measures up.
By year’s end, the team will know if their execution was up to standard. In five years, he said, the world will know if it was enough to make history, as broader discussions on accelerating the future ai mixed reality and the metaverse continue to set the stage for what’s ahead, as examined further in this analysis of privacy concerns related to ai eyewear.
