Meta Lays Off Over 1000 Employees, LinkedIn Becomes a Sea of Job Seekers
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, delivered a major blow to its employees at the start of 2026. The company has begun laying off more than 1,000 employees from its Reality Labs division (VR and metaverse projects). Employees started receiving messages about the layoffs on Tuesday (January 13).
These layoffs represent approximately 10% of the unit’s total workforce of 15,000 employees. Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, confirmed the news in a post. The post stated that the company is now shifting its focus away from the metaverse and towards AI-powered wearables and phone features.
Three VR Studios Shut Down
As part of this decision, Meta has completely shut down three in-house VR game studios – Armature Studio, Sanzaru Games, and Twisted Pixel. These studios created several popular VR games and content for the Meta Quest platform, such as the Asgard’s Wrath series, Marvel’s Deadpool VR, and the Resident Evil 4 VR port. However, Meta will continue to operate its remaining five studios (such as BigBox and OURO).
LinkedIn Flooded with Job Search Posts After Layoffs
Following the news of the layoffs, LinkedIn has been flooded with #OpenToWork green badges and posts from former Meta employees. A large number of Meta employees, some with over 10 years of experience, are sharing their stories. Some described their work at Meta as their “dream job,” but are now looking for new opportunities in game design, developer relations, XR/AR/VR, or AI roles. Many of these posts are filled with sadness and hope for a new beginning, clearly reflecting the uncertainty of employment in the tech industry.
