Meta Horizon Workrooms Shutdown Feb 2026: The End of VR Office Dreams
Meta will discontinue the Horizon Workrooms standalone app on Feb 16, 2026. This move follows massive metaverse division layoffs and a strategic pivot toward AI.
The metaverse office experiment is officially over. Meta announced it's shuttering its virtual office software, Horizon Workrooms, as a standalone app on February 16, 2026. Despite the company's rebranding efforts, it's clear that sitting in VR for meetings didn't win over the corporate world.
Meta Horizon Workrooms Shutdown Details
Meta is framing the move as a transition into its broader social platform, but the Meta Horizon Workrooms shutdown marks a significant retreat. Launched in August 2021, the app required users to wear heavy Quest headsets, which many found cumbersome for daily tasks. Adding to the withdrawal, Meta will also cease sales and support for enterprise Quest headsets starting February 2026.
The Reality of VR Workspaces
Why did it fail? It turns out people prefer physical desks or traditional video calls. Even in 2021, when Meta gave free headsets to its entire workforce, internal adoption remained low. Technical glitches like legless avatars made digital meetings feel awkward rather than professional. The barrier of entry—requiring every participant to own and wear hardware—was simply too high for the average company.
Meta Layoffs and the Pivot to AI
The timing isn't a coincidence. Meta recently laid off more than 1,000 employees from its metaverse division. With AI becoming the primary preoccupation for tech giants, VR projects are being pushed to the back of the class. Investors are demanding efficiency, and a virtual office that no one uses doesn't fit the new lean strategy.
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