Mark Zuckerberg’s $80 Billion Metaverse Dream Just Died: Here’s Why
Meta is discontinuing Horizon Worlds on Quest headsets, signaling a major retreat from Zuckerberg's VR metaverse vision due to massive financial losses.Summary
Meta Platforms confirmed it is removing Horizon Worlds from Quest VR headsets by June 15, shifting the flagship social VR experience to a mobile-only app. This move is seen as the clearest indication that Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse ambition, which prompted the company's rebranding, is being functionally shelved. The retreat follows staggering financial losses for Reality Labs, which posted $19.2 billion in operating losses in 2025, bringing cumulative losses near $80 billion since late 2020 against only $2.2 billion in revenue. Concurrently, Meta is heavily redirecting capital expenditure, guided between $115 to $135 billion for 2026, toward AI infrastructure and its Superintelligence Labs initiative. This shift is accompanied by workforce reductions within Reality Labs and a reported internal target for 20% annual attrition for 2026 and 2027, as the company prioritizes mobile experiences and wearable hardware like Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses over immersive VR, contrasting sharply with its still-strong advertising business.
(Source：BeInCrypto)