It appears the metaverse – once projected by McKinsey to be a $5 trillion market by 2030 – is ending with a whimper.

Meta Platforms (META) is planning sharp budget cuts—up to 30%—in its metaverse operations, with layoffs likely as soon as January. META's metaverse spending reductions reflect underwhelming industry ...

Mark Zuckerberg spent years insisting the metaverse was the next chapter of the internet, but the bill for that bet has finally come due. After roughly $70 billion in cumulative losses tied to virtual ...

The metaverse was supposed to be transformative. In March 2022, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg called it “the next chapter of the internet overall.” Three years ago, Satya Nadella, CEO at Microsoft, wrote ...

To join the CNBC Technology Executive Council, go to cnbccouncils.com/tec While the metaverse is often seen as a joke in 2025 because of low user counts and poor ...

A version of this story will appear in CNN Business’ Nightcap newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. Shares of the company formerly known as Facebook shot up 7% early Thursday in ...