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Meta burned  billion on VR last year, and 2026 won’t be any better | TechCrunch

Meta burned $19 billion on VR last year, and 2026 won’t be any better | TechCrunch

Earlier this month, Meta laid off 10% of the staff for Reality Labs, its virtual reality unit, reportedly cutting as many as 1,000 employees. Now, in a development that seems directly related, the company has revealed that the unit lost many billions of dollars last year.

On Wednesday, Meta’s earnings report showed that its embattled virtual reality business had lost some $19.1 billion in 2025, which is slightly more than it lost in 2024 (that year, the losses hovered around $17.7 billion). In its fourth quarter, the unit posted a loss of $6.2 billion, the report shows.

Those losses stood against what the unit generated in sales: $955 million in Q4 and some $2.2 billion throughout 2025.

During the company’s earnings call on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg struck a tone of optimism for his company’s VR team while noting that losses in 2026 are expected to be very much the same.

“For Reality Labs, we are directing most of our investment towards glasses and wearables going forward, while focusing on making Horizon a massive success on Mobile and making VR a profitable ecosystem over the coming years,” Zuckerberg said, during the call. However, the CEO noted that losses were expected to continue. “I expect Reality Labs losses this year to be similar to last year,” Zuckerberg said, while noting that this year would “likely be the peak, as we start to gradually reduce our losses going forward.”

When Meta announced a pivot toward the “metaverse” in 2021, the move was regarded with a certain amount of skepticism and, during its first year of VR efforts, the company faced harsh criticism — even being referred to as an “international laughingstock.” Nearly half a decade later, that skepticism hasn’t exactly subsided. As the VR business continues to lose money and Meta continues an aggressive pivot away from VR and toward AI, it’s unclear what exactly will turn the ailing business around.

Last week, CNBC reported that, in addition to the layoffs, Meta had plans to shutter a number of its VR studios — another sign that the company’s interest in virtual reality is waning. The company also recently announced that it would be retiring its standalone Workrooms app — which the company had pitched to office workers as a VR space that could be used to hold meetings.

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Microsoft is purchasing 650,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from startup BioCirc, the company said today. 

As carbon removal deals go, it’s not a big buy. But this one is notable because last month, two reports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals.

For the carbon removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive.

Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times we may adjust the pace or volume of our carbon removal procurement as we continue to refine our approach toward sustainability goals.”

The new deal generates carbon removal credits from five BioCirc biogas projects. The biogas plants take biomass waste — frequently from agriculture — and use industrial bioreactors to turn it into methane and carbon dioxide. BioCirc captures the carbon dioxide and stores it in an underground reservoir offshore. The methane is then burned in a power plant. 

Microsoft’s sustainability goals have been strained by the company’s push into AI. To power its data centers in Texas, Microsoft last month said it was working with Chevron and Engine No. 1 to build a natural gas power plant in the state that could eventually generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Emissions from that project alone promise to dwarf the deal with BioCirc.

Internally, Microsoft employees have also been debating whether to abandon the company’s goal of matching zero emissions electricity with its energy use on an hourly basis. Today, the company matches on an annual basis. That approach gives the company more flexibility to, say, use more natural gas to power its data centers at night, but it also makes the company’s clean energy claims harder to verify.

If Microsoft continues to pursue fossil fuel power plants, it’ll need to ramp up its carbon removal purchases to meet its 2030 target of becoming a carbon negative company (one that removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it generates). 

Last year, Microsoft signed several deals worth millions of tons of carbon removal credits. The program’s reported pause set off alarm bells throughout the carbon removal industry, which is still in its infancy.

The new deal suggests that Microsoft is, in fact, recalibrating its carbon removal program — not abandoning it. Whether that remains true as AI drives its energy consumption higher is something the industry will be watching.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Microsofts #carbon #removal #plans #arent #dead #TechCrunchMicrosoft,biogas,Exclusive,carbon credits,carbon removal">Microsoft’s carbon removal plans aren’t dead after all | TechCrunch
Microsoft is purchasing 650,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from startup BioCirc, the company said today. 

As carbon removal deals go, it’s not a big buy. But this one is notable because last month, two reports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals.







For the carbon removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive.

Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times we may adjust the pace or volume of our carbon removal procurement as we continue to refine our approach toward sustainability goals.”

The new deal generates carbon removal credits from five BioCirc biogas projects. The biogas plants take biomass waste — frequently from agriculture — and use industrial bioreactors to turn it into methane and carbon dioxide. BioCirc captures the carbon dioxide and stores it in an underground reservoir offshore. The methane is then burned in a power plant. 

Microsoft’s sustainability goals have been strained by the company’s push into AI. To power its data centers in Texas, Microsoft last month said it was working with Chevron and Engine No. 1 to build a natural gas power plant in the state that could eventually generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Emissions from that project alone promise to dwarf the deal with BioCirc.

Internally, Microsoft employees have also been debating whether to abandon the company’s goal of matching zero emissions electricity with its energy use on an hourly basis. Today, the company matches on an annual basis. That approach gives the company more flexibility to, say, use more natural gas to power its data centers at night, but it also makes the company’s clean energy claims harder to verify.


If Microsoft continues to pursue fossil fuel power plants, it’ll need to ramp up its carbon removal purchases to meet its 2030 target of becoming a carbon negative company (one that removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it generates). 

Last year, Microsoft signed several deals worth millions of tons of carbon removal credits. The program’s reported pause set off alarm bells throughout the carbon removal industry, which is still in its infancy.

The new deal suggests that Microsoft is, in fact, recalibrating its carbon removal program — not abandoning it. Whether that remains true as AI drives its energy consumption higher is something the industry will be watching.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Microsofts #carbon #removal #plans #arent #dead #TechCrunchMicrosoft,biogas,Exclusive,carbon credits,carbon removal

two reports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals.

For the carbon removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive.

Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times we may adjust the pace or volume of our carbon removal procurement as we continue to refine our approach toward sustainability goals.”

The new deal generates carbon removal credits from five BioCirc biogas projects. The biogas plants take biomass waste — frequently from agriculture — and use industrial bioreactors to turn it into methane and carbon dioxide. BioCirc captures the carbon dioxide and stores it in an underground reservoir offshore. The methane is then burned in a power plant. 

Microsoft’s sustainability goals have been strained by the company’s push into AI. To power its data centers in Texas, Microsoft last month said it was working with Chevron and Engine No. 1 to build a natural gas power plant in the state that could eventually generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Emissions from that project alone promise to dwarf the deal with BioCirc.

Internally, Microsoft employees have also been debating whether to abandon the company’s goal of matching zero emissions electricity with its energy use on an hourly basis. Today, the company matches on an annual basis. That approach gives the company more flexibility to, say, use more natural gas to power its data centers at night, but it also makes the company’s clean energy claims harder to verify.

If Microsoft continues to pursue fossil fuel power plants, it’ll need to ramp up its carbon removal purchases to meet its 2030 target of becoming a carbon negative company (one that removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it generates). 

Last year, Microsoft signed several deals worth millions of tons of carbon removal credits. The program’s reported pause set off alarm bells throughout the carbon removal industry, which is still in its infancy.

The new deal suggests that Microsoft is, in fact, recalibrating its carbon removal program — not abandoning it. Whether that remains true as AI drives its energy consumption higher is something the industry will be watching.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Microsofts #carbon #removal #plans #arent #dead #TechCrunchMicrosoft,biogas,Exclusive,carbon credits,carbon removal">Microsoft’s carbon removal plans aren’t dead after all | TechCrunch

Microsoft is purchasing 650,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from startup BioCirc, the company said today. 

As carbon removal deals go, it’s not a big buy. But this one is notable because last month, two reports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals.

For the carbon removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive.

Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times we may adjust the pace or volume of our carbon removal procurement as we continue to refine our approach toward sustainability goals.”

The new deal generates carbon removal credits from five BioCirc biogas projects. The biogas plants take biomass waste — frequently from agriculture — and use industrial bioreactors to turn it into methane and carbon dioxide. BioCirc captures the carbon dioxide and stores it in an underground reservoir offshore. The methane is then burned in a power plant. 

Microsoft’s sustainability goals have been strained by the company’s push into AI. To power its data centers in Texas, Microsoft last month said it was working with Chevron and Engine No. 1 to build a natural gas power plant in the state that could eventually generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Emissions from that project alone promise to dwarf the deal with BioCirc.

Internally, Microsoft employees have also been debating whether to abandon the company’s goal of matching zero emissions electricity with its energy use on an hourly basis. Today, the company matches on an annual basis. That approach gives the company more flexibility to, say, use more natural gas to power its data centers at night, but it also makes the company’s clean energy claims harder to verify.

If Microsoft continues to pursue fossil fuel power plants, it’ll need to ramp up its carbon removal purchases to meet its 2030 target of becoming a carbon negative company (one that removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it generates). 

Last year, Microsoft signed several deals worth millions of tons of carbon removal credits. The program’s reported pause set off alarm bells throughout the carbon removal industry, which is still in its infancy.

The new deal suggests that Microsoft is, in fact, recalibrating its carbon removal program — not abandoning it. Whether that remains true as AI drives its energy consumption higher is something the industry will be watching.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Microsofts #carbon #removal #plans #arent #dead #TechCrunchMicrosoft,biogas,Exclusive,carbon credits,carbon removal
Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.

Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes

Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India
	
Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.



Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes







The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.



According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:




India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.




The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.

According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:

India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.

The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin">Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India
	
Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.



Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes







The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.



According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:




India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.




The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.

Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes

Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India
	
Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.



Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes







The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.



According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:




India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.




The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.

According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:

India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.

The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin">Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India

Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.

Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes

Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India
	
Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.



Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes







The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.



According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:




India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.




The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.

According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:

India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.

The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

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