Meta recently made a major restructuring of its Reality Labs, spinning off the Horizon OS operating system, formerly part of the "Metaverse" business group, and elevating it to an independent top-level group. This change signifies a strategic upgrade for Meta in VR hardware and system platform development. Previously, Reality Labs consisted of two main departments: "Metaverse," responsible for the Quest headset, Horizon OS, and Metaverse applications (such as Horizon Worlds), while the latter focused on smart glasses and AR technology development.
Following this restructuring, Horizon OS is now led by Ryan Cairns, focusing on VR hardware and system platform development. Vishal Shah, the former head of the "Metaverse" department, has moved to Meta Superintelligence Labs to drive cross-departmental integration of Personal Superintelligence, a position now filled by Gabriel Aul. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth emphasized in an internal memo that the restructuring is not a reduction in the priority of Metaverse, but rather an effort to solidify its leading position. He pointed out that with the deepening integration of AI and general computing capabilities, VR is expanding from a gaming platform into a comprehensive platform covering entertainment, productivity, and social interaction.
External analysts believe that the independence of Horizon OS may be a direct response to Google's newly launched Android XR system. The latter is already used in the Samsung Galaxy XR headset and is planned to expand to more brands next year. Meta's move aims to strengthen the independence of its operating system ecosystem to cope with increasingly fierce market competition. Despite the division, Metaverse remains Meta's core strategy, and the company will continue to advance the development of applications such as Horizon Worlds while accelerating the diversified deployment of VR technology.
