Meta Platforms is preparing a fresh push into AI hardware, with plans to test an AI-powered pendant within the next year and expand its smart-glasses business into the workplace, according to a report by The Information.
The plan, reportedly outlined in an internal memo by Alex Himel, Meta’s vice president of wearables, points to a company trying to turn its hardware division from an expensive bet into a real business. The memo says Meta wants to broaden its lineup of AI glasses and introduce a business-focused service called “Wearables for Work.”
The new pendant is expected to build on Meta’s acquisition of Limitless, an AI wearables startup known for a small clip-on device that can record, transcribe and summarize conversations. That gives a pretty clear hint about where Meta may be heading: less bulky mixed-reality hardware, more always-on AI assistants that sit quietly on the body and help users remember meetings, conversations and daily tasks.
Meta’s timing is not random. Its Reality Labs unit, which houses virtual reality, augmented reality and wearable-device work, remains a financial drag. In the first quarter of 2026, Reality Labs generated $402 million in revenue but posted an operating loss of $4.028 billion, according to Meta’s own results. That’s a huge gap, and it explains why the company is looking for wearable products with broader appeal than VR headsets.
The company is also setting ambitious sales targets. According to the report, Meta aims to sell 10 million wearable devices in the second half of 2026, helped by new products and wider availability in more countries. Meta already works with EssilorLuxottica, including Ray-Ban and Oakley brands, on AI-powered smart glasses.
The workplace angle may be the more interesting part. A service like “Wearables for Work” could pitch smart glasses or pendants as productivity tools — useful for meetings, field work, training, translation, note-taking or quick access to company information. That could give Meta a more practical story to tell businesses, especially after years of trying to convince consumers that VR headsets belong in everyday life.
Still, the idea raises obvious concerns. A pendant that listens, records or summarizes conversations will face tough questions around privacy, consent and workplace surveillance. Those questions won’t be easy to brush aside, particularly in offices where employees may not feel free to opt out.
For Meta, though, the direction is clear. The company doesn’t appear to be walking away from hardware. It’s changing the shape of the bet — from headsets and the metaverse toward smaller AI devices that people might actually wear throughout the day. Whether that becomes the next big computing platform or just another costly experiment is the part Meta still has to prove.
