Meta's Metaverse Reboot: Key Leaders Shift to Drive AI and Virtual Worlds Forward

Meta is shaking up its metaverse division, signaling a renewed focus on both virtual reality and artificial intelligence. In a recent memo, CTO Andrew Bosworth announced a major reshuffle: Gabriel Aul, the former head of Meta Horizon and virtual worlds, along with Ryan Cairns, who oversees VR hardware, will now steer Meta’s metaverse strategy. The company emphasized that the metaverse remains a top priority, declaring, "We've proved our thesis to the industry, and we continue to see competitors enter this space to try and catch up to us, so we need to continue to press our hard-earned advantage".​

Vishal Shah, who played a pivotal role in shaping Meta’s metaverse vision for the past four years, is transitioning to Meta Superintelligence Labs as VP of AI Products. Reporting to Nat Friedman, Shah will spearhead the integration of AI technologies across Meta’s Family of Apps and Reality Labs, aiming to unlock new opportunities for creators and businesses in the metaverse.​

The overhaul comes as Meta’s investment in mixed and virtual reality crosses the $100 billion mark for 2025. The company recently cut 600 jobs in its AI division, signaling a shift in resources but sustaining its commitment to AI-driven innovation. Despite the hype around the metaverse cooling off, Meta has made strides: launching photorealistic avatars, rolling out Horizon mobile, and developing AI-powered world-building tools. Even as VR grows beyond gaming into productivity and entertainment, mobile continues to attract young social gamers, catalyzed by Meta’s creation tools.​

Bosworth stressed the need for execution and collaboration across teams, with Horizon OS and the metaverse division closely aligned for product integration. "VR is evolving beyond its roots in gaming to become a broader platform for entertainment, productivity, and connection as we deepen our AI and general compute capabilities. We have the right team and strategy in place—now we need to focus on execution," he stated.​

Vishal Shah also reflected on the transition: "I truly believe that AI is one of the most transformative shifts of our generation. My experiences at Reality Labs and Instagram have shaped how I think about building products that connect billions and drive innovation. Working across so many parts of Meta, I can help AI truly scale and deliver value companywide. I plan to remain very involved in building bridges between MSL and RL to deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people across all devices. Let's keep building".​

The reshuffle, confirmed by Meta, positions new leadership to drive both the metaverse and AI product integration—reinforcing Meta’s vision to remain ahead as a pioneer in immersive and intelligent technologies.