The Astonishing Money Meta Spends on the Metaverse

MetaversePlanet February 20, 2023

0 1 minute read

The Metaverse has become a financial quagmire. Reality Labs, Meta’s division dedicated to the metaverse and virtual reality, has incurred tens of billions of dollars in losses over the past three years.

The metaverse venture of both Mark Zuckerberg and Meta has not lived up to expectations. Declining user interest, investments failing to inject the anticipated dynamism, and diminishing investor confidence have all converged, leading to inevitable losses for Meta.

Meta lost $26 billion

The Astonishing Money Meta Spends on the Metaverse

Reality Labs, Meta’s division focused on the metaverse and virtual reality, has suffered losses of $26 billion or more in just over two years due to its metaverse endeavors. Meta’s latest Q4 results reveal the extent of the company’s expenditure (and losses) within the metaverse. From the holiday season of 2020 through to the end of 2022, Reality Labs has encountered billions of dollars in losses for multiple consecutive quarters. Statements from Zuckerberg indicate that this aggressive investment strategy is set to continue.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg remains steadfast in his belief in the metaverse, expressing confidence that this platform represents the next frontier in social interaction through the forthcoming generation of Meta Reality titles.

Despite these financial setbacks, Zuckerberg adopts a different perspective on the situation. He considers metaverse-based development to be a cost-effective approach, especially when compared to hardware development costs.

Furthermore, the company plans to offset future losses while continuing its investments through restructuring initiatives in 2023, dubbed the “year of productivity.” As part of its restructuring efforts to streamline operations, the company initiated the process by parting with more than 11,000 employees.