Facebook announced Monday that it plans to create 10,000 jobs in the European Union over the next five years to help build the Metaverses – an online world where people can move and interact with different devices in a virtual environment.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been discussing metaverse since July, and the buzzword, first used in a dystopian novel three decades ago, is also used by other technology companies such as Microsoft.
Zuckerberg wants the Metaverse to be accessible via VR, AR, PC, mobile devices and game consoles.
Using technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, the social media giant plans to create a larger “virtual presence” that looks like a personal interaction.
The Covid-19 pandemic has moved much of corporate meetings online, leading to the rise of conference applications like Zoom, and major technology companies are trying to capitalize on this shift.
Facebook, which has invested heavily in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), including companies like Oculus, wants to connect its nearly three billion users across multiple devices and apps.
The tech giant has already pledged $50 million to build the Metaverse and try out a new Remote Work app, where users of Oculus Quest 2 headsets will be able to hold meetings as avatar versions of themselves.