Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg needs his expensive bet on the metaverse to work, and now he's talking up and partnering with rival companies to support that outcome.
Meta's annual Connect developer conference this year once again focused on the metaverse. To get more people to use the metaverse, the company formerly known as Facebook announced partnerships Tuesday with other major names in tech, like Zoom, Accenture, and, notably, Microsoft and its gaming subsidiary, Xbox.
The company also gave a shout-out to the popularity of an app from its longtime rival Google. Andrew Bosworth, Meta's chief technology officer and head of Reality Labs, said "one of the most popular apps" in the app store for its Quest 2 virtual-reality headset was YouTube VR. He added that the "YouTube team is working to make the experience even more social" for Quest headset users.
The companies have for years competed directly in various aspects of the consumer internet, notably advertising, video, and streaming. But at this year's Connect, Zuckerberg and other executives said they wanted to build an "open," "interoperable," and immersive virtual world, versus one that operates only with its own apps and products.
"I strongly believe an open and interoperable metaverse will be better for everyone," Zuckerberg said at the conference. "I see our role as not just helping to build this open ecosystem but making sure it wins out in this generation of the internet."
Facebook debuted a big partnership to make Microsoft's 365 suite of tools available for the Quest 2 and the new, much more expensive Quest Pro — a boon to Facebook's attempts to make the metaverse something people use for work.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said at the conference that he's "excited for what's to come" with Microsoft work tools, with virtual group meetings, calendars, and Xbox Cloud games being available on Quest headsets. Microsoft shuttered its headset project earlier this year amid turmoil in its metaverse division.
Besides Microsoft, Meta teamed up with Zoom and Accenture. Zoom will be accessible early next year through Horizon Workrooms, one of Facebook's active metaverse platforms. Accenture, which also has a large deal with Meta to provide hourly workers, will continue to use Quest headsets for certain training courses.
Meta has a long way to go to make a widely used metaverse a reality. Reality Labs is losing billions of dollars every year. Employees are confused about projects. Wall Street is impatient. The company's stock fell another 4% on Tuesday, hovering around a low for the past year. Meanwhile, growth of its core social apps has slowed, along with growth of revenue, creating a likelihood of layoffs.
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