Meta is still burning money on AR/VR

You know that friend who keeps renovating their basement even though nobody ever goes down there? That’s basically what Meta is doing with its virtual and augmented reality division. They’ve been pouring money into it for years — we’re talking billions lost every single quarter — and the thing still hasn’t become the “next big thing” they promised. Now add in a massive push into AI on top of that, and the bills are getting even bigger. Mark Zuckerberg is essentially betting the house that both of these technologies will eventually pay off, even while the rest of us are still just using Instagram to look at food photos.

Here’s the thing though — Meta’s AI spending isn’t just disappearing into a black hole. A lot of it is actually producing tools that regular people and small businesses can use right now. Their AI features are showing up in ad targeting, content creation, and their business tools. The AR/VR stuff is still mostly a rich person’s toy, but the AI side is quietly becoming useful infrastructure. Think of it like a restaurant that loses money on a fancy tasting menu but makes it all back selling really good takeout. The takeout is the AI tools. The tasting menu is the metaverse nobody asked for.

So how do you actually benefit from all this spending? First, if you run any kind of small business with a Facebook or Instagram presence, dig into Meta’s AI-powered ad tools right now. They’ve gotten genuinely good at finding your ideal customer, and you’re essentially getting the benefit of billions in R&D for the cost of a modest ad budget. Second, Meta AI (their chatbot available in WhatsApp and Messenger) is free and surprisingly capable for drafting messages, answering customer questions, or helping you brainstorm product descriptions — give it a real try before paying for other tools. Third, keep an eye on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. They’re one of the few AR products that’s actually affordable and practical, and creators and small business owners are starting to use them for hands-free content recording without lugging around camera equipment. It’s a legitimate low-cost content creation tool hiding in plain sight.

Meta losing money isn’t your problem — but the useful stuff they’re building while doing it absolutely is your opportunity.