Meta’s Vice President of Engineering and Head of its Augmented Reality Software, Don Box, has announced his resignation internally, according to a Reuters report. The announcement raises questions about Meta’s custom operating system for its planned augmented reality glasses.
The former VP of Meta revealed that he would be stepping down without providing details about his next move. A Meta representative confirmed that Box will leave the company at the end of the week for personal reasons and assured that his departure would not affect the product strategy.
The company declined to comment on whether the OS developed by Box’s team will be included in the first generation of Meta’s AR glasses. According to BNN, the first generation of the AR glasses is expected to be available for internal use and select developers next year, with a consumer version anticipated for release by 2027.
CTO Andrew Bosworth, leader of Meta’s Reality Labs division, acknowledged “quite a few challenges” in developing an AR device for the market. Meta has also faced difficulties in producing custom silicon for its AR/VR devices, resulting in several layoffs within its Reality Labs custom silicon business FAST.
The recent layoffs could threaten CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s goal to develop augmented and virtual reality products that provide access to immersive virtual worlds known as the “metaverse,” particularly the AR glasses. Zuckerberg has described AR glasses as a groundbreaking project as Meta seeks to replace computers and mobile devices with an immersive virtual “metaverse.”
Meta first hired Box in 2021 to lead the company’s XROS project after its setback. The XROS project aimed to develop a single proprietary operating system for its VR headsets, smart glasses, and planned AR glasses. Box divided the 300-person XROS unit into specialized teams for each device line and personally led the team focused on AR software.
Box had previously worked at Microsoft, overseeing mixed reality engineering, which involved creating software for the HoloLens2 headgear and related AR/VR services. The announcement of his resignation has given rise to speculation about the future of Meta’s AR glasses, and it will be interesting to see how the company navigates this transition.
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