Meta Denies Claims of Outsourcing XR Headset Designs

In the latest developments surrounding Meta, The Information has sparked conversation by suggesting that the tech giant is outsourcing some design aspects for their upcoming headsets, with a strategic pivot to shift some production away from China. However, Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, has firmly dismissed these claims, emphasizing that the headset designs remain very much an in-house effort.

According to details shared by The Information, and further expanded by SeekingAlpha, it appears Meta is eyeing a move to transfer about half of its Quest headset production from China to Vietnam. This shift aims to sidestep looming import tariffs expected to come into play under the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump.

Adding to the intrigue, the report hints that Meta may be planning to delegate more of its component design work to Goertek, a Chinese original design manufacturer (ODM) known for producing reference designs and executing device manufacturing across the extended reality (XR) sector.

Moreover, as the narrative unfolds, it’s speculated that by the year 2030, Meta could be leaning more towards letting Goertek and other partners take the reins in headset development. This rumored shift is part of a broader strategy to hone in on Meta’s profitable software business. In this envisioned partnership model, Meta would set the design parameters, leaving Goertek to generate several design options to choose from.

Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, took to social media to decisively counter these claims. In a recent post, he clarified, “There’s been a persistent rumor about design outsourcing, but it’s untrue. Our headset designs continue to be crafted internally and there’s no plan to change that. While we do collaborate to some extent with our manufacturers, there’s no substantial change in our processes.”

In a subsequent message, Bosworth reiterated that their collaboration with Goertek remains unchanged, stating, “Goertek has always been a reliable partner. As certain aspects of our technology evolve and become standard across models, we’ve leveraged their skills to maintain continuity in production, but this isn’t new.”

Supporting this dialogue, a source from within Meta reportedly shared with The Information that Goertek has indeed begun designing the exteriors for Meta’s upcoming mixed reality (MR) headsets and has taken on a more significant role in research and development for other Meta initiatives, including the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Earlier this year, Goertek strengthened its commitment to its Vietnamese operations by investing $280 million. According to filings on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, this investment is aimed at bolstering the production of consumer electronics, ranging from headphones and smartwatches to VR and AR devices.