Don Box is stepping down from his position within the company.
Don Box, the head of AR software at Meta, is stepping down from that position within the social media company, according to recent media reports.
This has led some to wonder about Meta’s future in developing its augmented reality glasses.
Meta has been working on the development of AR software and hardware alike, specifically in the form of glasses. That said, many are now wondering what the future will hold for that tech now that its Vice President of Engineering Don Box has announced that he will not be staying with the company.
Box has officially announced that he is stepping down but has not given any word as to what his intentions are as he moves forward. A spokesperson for Meta said that his last day was the end of last week and that his decision was made for personal reasons. The spokesperson added that there was no intention to change the direction of the product plans based on Box’ decision.
Box brought considerable experience to the AR software project, causing some to wonder about its future.
Box’ extensive experience is as an engineer who creates large technology systems from the ground up. Without his presence, some wonder if there will be an impact on the operating system’s progress. The operating system is a central part of the augmented reality glasses.
Meta’s goal is to launch the first generation of its augmented reality wearables at some point in 2024. That said, this will be a limited launch, extending only to internal use as well as to a select developer group, according to the company spokesperson. Its goal is to begin shipping the first consumer AR glasses in 2027.
Company CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been looking to the AR software and glasses as a critical step along the road to much more broad use of the “metaverse” immersive virtual experience. This is meant to be a transitional phase to gain access to the virtual environment before eventually replacing mobile devices and laptops, according to Zuckerberg’s vision of the technology and its development.