Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta launches new AI initiative after metaverse retreat

Mark Zuckerberg is launching Meta Small Business as a company-wide initiative to support entrepreneurship and accelerate AI adoption, Axios reported Wednesday.

The effort, led by Dina Powell McCormick, Meta’s president and vice chairman, and Naomi Gleit, who heads product development, will focus on building tools across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to help small businesses grow and scale more easily in the AI era.

“In the AI era, it should be easier than ever for people to build new businesses,” Zuckerberg wrote in an internal post shared with employees. “We want to build the services that enable this.”

Meta focuses on AI after scaling back metaverse ambitions

The announcement comes as Meta intensifies its focus on artificial intelligence while dialing back its metaverse ambitions, following a multi-year push into virtual reality.

Last week, the company announced it would retire Horizon Worlds on Quest VR headsets, with VR access ending on June 15.

However, after creator backlash, the company clarified that while certain VR social hubs and internal studios are being phased out, existing VR worlds will remain accessible. The platform’s main growth focus has now shifted to its mobile and web apps.

The move was not entirely surprising, coming after Reality Labs layoffs and persistent losses. Horizon Worlds has struggled to attract a large user base since its launch in late 2021, leading Meta to separate its VR and mobile efforts for more focused growth.