Meta's push into the metaverse has caught the attention of Microsoft employees, dozens of whom have defected from Redmond to the company formerly known as Facebook.
In the last year, over 100 employees working on augmented reality at Microsoft left the company, The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal reports. Over 40 ended up working at Meta, which also attracted a few former Apple employees.
Two notable hires for Meta are Charlie Han and Josh Miller from the HoloLens team. Han took customer feedback on the HoloLens while Miller worked on the display team, the Journal says.
Microsoft announced the $3,500 enterprise-focused HoloLens AR headset in 2015, shortly after Google said it would stop selling the consumer version of Google Glass as it shifted to a more business-oriented effort. Google Glass Enterprise Edition appeared two year later, while HoloLens 2 dropped in 2019.
In the meantime, Facebook focused on virtual reality. It acquired Oculus in 2014 for $2 billion; the company's Oculus Quest 2 is a PCMag Editors' Choice pick for VR headsets. But it also dabbled in smart glasses with the Ray-Ban Stories last year, and now has its eye on true AR glasses, the Journal reports. Hence the hiring spree.
Some on the HoloLens team, however, apparently do not believe Microsoft is investing enough in them, particularly given the US Army contract it secured last year, the Journal says.
Overall, VR will top AR in the coming years, IDC said last month, but "AR will face substantial growth from 2023 – 2025 and will capture one-third share by the end of 2025. Newer headsets from smartphone vendors and growing appeal in the consumer segment is expected to drive volume for AR headsets."