Spin the Wheel

Meta's 5X Faster AI Push

In October 2025, Meta's Vice President of Metaverse, Vishal Shah, issued a bold directive to his team that would reshape how the company approaches artificial intelligence integration. The message was clear and audacious: "Think 5X, not 5%." This wasn't about incremental improvements—it was about fundamentally transforming how Meta's metaverse development teams work by making AI a core part of every workflow, not just an occasional tool. The directive came at a critical moment for Meta's Reality Labs division, which has been burning through tens of billions of dollars while struggling to gain mainstream adoption for its metaverse vision. With the company having invested over $45 billion in Reality Labs and posting a $5 billion quarterly loss, there was immense pressure to demonstrate that these investments could yield tangible results. Shah's AI push represents a strategic pivot, positioning artificial intelligence as the key to unlocking the productivity gains needed to justify continued investment. Shah's vision extends far beyond simple automation. He wants AI to become "a habit, not a novelty" for every employee working on metaverse products. This means integrating AI into every major codebase and workflow, not just using it for isolated tasks. The goal is to eliminate friction points that slow down development, turning feedback loops from weeks into hours. Imagine a world where anyone can rapidly prototype an idea and get feedback in hours rather than weeks—that's the future Meta is trying to build. The initiative explicitly targets non-engineering roles as well. Shah called on product managers, designers, and cross-functional partners to "roll up their sleeves" and use AI to build prototypes, fix bugs, and push boundaries. This democratization of development capabilities could fundamentally change how products are created, allowing people without traditional coding backgrounds to contribute directly to technical development. However, this aggressive push raises important questions about the nature of work and the role of human creativity in product development. While AI can accelerate certain tasks, there are concerns about whether speed should be the primary metric for success. The metaverse's challenges aren't just technical—they're also about creating compelling experiences, understanding user needs, and building communities. It's unclear whether AI can help with these more nuanced aspects of product development. The "5X faster" goal also highlights a tension between Meta's ambitious timeline and the reality of complex software development. Building immersive virtual worlds involves intricate systems for physics, networking, rendering, and user interaction. While AI can help with code generation and debugging, the fundamental challenges of creating compelling metaverse experiences may not be solvable simply by working faster. There's also the question of what happens to the human workforce when AI becomes central to every workflow. Shah's directive suggests a future where AI handles routine tasks, but it's not clear how this will affect job security, career development, or the skills that employees need to develop. The transition to an AI-first workplace could be disruptive, even if it's ultimately beneficial. Meta's approach reflects a broader industry trend where companies are racing to integrate AI into their operations, often with ambitious productivity targets. However, the metaverse presents unique challenges that may not respond well to a pure speed-focused approach. Creating virtual worlds that people actually want to spend time in requires understanding human psychology, social dynamics, and cultural trends—areas where AI may be less helpful. The directive also comes at a time when Meta is facing increased scrutiny over its metaverse investments. Shareholders and analysts have questioned whether the billions spent on Reality Labs will ever generate returns. By positioning AI as a solution to productivity challenges, Meta is essentially making a bet that technology can solve problems that may be more fundamental—like whether people actually want to spend significant time in virtual worlds. Looking forward, the success of Meta's AI integration strategy will depend on whether it can balance speed with quality, automation with creativity, and efficiency with innovation. The "5X faster" goal is impressive on paper, but the real test will be whether it leads to better products that people actually want to use. If AI simply helps Meta build more metaverse products that nobody wants, faster, then the initiative will have missed the point entirely. The broader lesson here is that productivity gains from AI need to be measured not just in terms of speed, but in terms of outcomes. For Meta's metaverse vision to succeed, the company needs to create experiences that are compelling, accessible, and meaningful—not just products that were built quickly. Whether AI can help achieve these goals remains to be seen, but Shah's directive represents a significant bet that it can.