Meta Is Roping In Employees From Apple and Microsoft, Augmented Reality Experts in Focus: Report

In the metaverse, Augmented Reality (AR) will make for a vital element which will allow people to exist in a functional virtual universe.

By Radhika Parashar | Updated: 12 January 2022 11:45 IST

Meta Is Roping In Employees From Apple and Microsoft, Augmented Reality Experts in Focus: Report

Photo Credit: Meta

As per Mark Zuckerberg, metaverse will allow people to work and socialise in a virtual universe

Highlights

Over 100 Microsoft employees have joined Meta in a year
Apple trying to retain workers with stocks and bonuses
Apple, Microsoft, and Meta likely to compete in metaverse space this year

Mark Zuckerberg in November last year rebranded Facebook under a new name, Meta, depicted by a loopy infinity logo. As suggested by the new moniker, the social networking mammoth is gearing up to work on metaverse projects. In order to strengthen its team with the best minds, Meta is reportedly roping in tech workers from Apple and software giant Microsoft, especially targeting their team of Augmented Reality (AR). In the metaverse, which can be described as the future of the Internet that could support a functional virtual universe, AR will make for a vital element.

Around 100 staffers from Microsoft's HoloLens AR headsets team have resigned and joined Meta over the last year, a report by the Wall Street Journal said.

When a similar pattern of former employees joining Meta was observed by Apple, the iPhone-maker began counteracting to retain its staff.

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According to a Bloomberg report from December 2021, Apple has introduced lucrative stock options and bonuses worth between $50,000 (roughly Rs. 36 lakh) and $180,000 (roughly over Rs. 1 crore) for its employees.

Speaking about the goals of Meta, its vice president, Nick Clegg had revealed last year that the company is building itself for the metaverse.

While the concept of the metaverse is still catching up among tech-enthusiasts, Clegg said it was essential for Meta, formerly Facebook, to rush into the space.

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In the words of Zuckerberg, the metaverse future will allow people to teleport instantly as a hologram to be “at the office without a commute, at a concert with friends, or in your parents' living room to catch up”

The metaverse technology is seemingly on the rise. Both, Apple as well as Microsoft have also shown interest in the sector.

Last year Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had spoken in favour of the metaverse concept.

The metaverse is here, and it's not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room. Take a look. pic.twitter.com/h5tsdYMXRD
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 2, 2021

There are also speculations that Apple could release a mixed-reality (MR) headset for its vision of metaverse later this year, a report from Benzinga said recently.

Bloomberg Intelligence reportedly expects the market opportunity for the metaverse to reach $800 billion (roughly Rs. 59,58,719 crore) by 2024.

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Further reading: Meta, Metaverse, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Augmented Reality, AR

Radhika Parashar

Email Radhika

Radhika Parashar is a senior correspondent for Gadgets 360. She has been reporting on tech and telecom for the last three years now and will be focussing on writing about all things crypto. Besides this, she is a major sitcom nerd and often replies in Chandler Bing and Michael Scott references. For tips or queries you could reach out to her at RadhikaP@ndtv.com. More