The technology is cool, but the problem is Meta is working backwards from “create a platform where we have total control so a company like Apple can’t bully us” and not “create a product that people want to use”. Plus, Zuck himself being involved in the marketing is basically instantly making their VR products seem uncool and untrustworthy.

You can see this bleed through into all of their demos and apps. They are focused on social because it has a larger TAM and enterprise customers. They’re demoing digital cosmetics because they want to create a marketplace for them and skim a huge amount off the top. They’re not focused on creating something that is better than the alternatives or that people want to use.

VR/AR are for sure the future. I can’t think of a company I’d less rather be the main player than Meta (I guess Oracle, but I mean companies which realistically could make an AR/VR product). And I think that sentiment is common enough among early adopters and developers that Meta will really struggle to hit the hockey stick growth they need.