Facebook plans to employ 10,000 in EU to build metaverse

Facebook Inc, says it plans to employ 10,000 people in the European Union over the next five years to help build the so-called metaverse.

The social media giant made the announcement on Monday, according to Reuters.

According to the BBC, the 10,000 new jobs that will be created over the next five years will include “highly specialised engineers”.

CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has been buzzing about metaverse – an online world where people can use different devices to move and communicate in a virtual environment.

Zuckerberg’s obsession with the dystopia which he has been talking about since July 2021 was fanned by a three decade old novel that has also been referenced by other tech firms such as Microsoft.

The term first appeared in the 1992 science fiction novel titled “Snowcrash,” and according to OMR, the dystopian novel has left a lasting impression on the founders of Google, Amazon and Facebook.

According to Facebook in a blog post, “The metaverse has the potential to help unlock access to new creative, social, and economic opportunities. And Europeans will be shaping it right from the start.”

Facebook has recently invested $50m (£36.3m) in funding non-profit groups to help “build the metaverse responsibly” comes amidst increased calls for regulation to curb its influence.

Although the company thinks the true metaverse idea will take another 10 to 15 years, Facebook who has a history of buying up rivals has vowed to collaborate with other competitors.

“No one company will own and operate the metaverse,” Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, wrote in a blog post. “Bringing this to life will take collaboration and cooperation across companies, developers, creators and policymakers.”

Meanwhile, Facebook has been faced with a series of damaging scandals in recent months, including revelations from whistleblower Frances Haugen, who worked as a product manager on the civic integrity team at Facebook.

Internal research by Facebook found that Instagram, which it owns, was affecting the mental health of teenagers. But Facebook did not share its findings when they suggested that the platform was a “toxic” place for many youngsters.

However, the company noted that investing in the EU offered many advantages, including access to a large consumer market, first-class universities and high-quality talent, Facebook said.

Nearly three billions users will have access to the metaverse would be through several devices – virtual reality, augmented reality, PC, mobile devices and game consoles.

Although the company did not specify what roles it would hire for and where they would be based, Clegg added that they “look forward to working with governments across the EU to find the right people and the right markets to take this forward, as part of an upcoming recruitment drive across the region.”