Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth: Our Path To Frontier AI, Renting Models, Consumer AI's Struggles
Andrew "Boz" Bosworth is the chief technology officer of Meta. Bosworth joins Big Technology to discuss why Meta fell behind in the frontier AI race and how it plans to turn its models, products, and distribution into an advantage. Tune in to hear his candid explanation of what went wrong with Llama, why the best AI products will use multiple models, and what it will take for consumer agents to break through. We also cover Meta’s AI glasses, the future of augmented reality, employee tracking and training programs, AI companions, and the painful process of adapting a company to a technological revolution. Hit play for a revealing conversation about Meta’s AI comeback and the products that could shape how we interact with computers.
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What Comes After Mobile? Meta’s Andrew Bosworth on AI and Consumer Tech
Are we nearing the end of the smartphone era?
In this episode, a16z Growth General Partner David George talks with Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth about what comes after apps and touchscreens. From smart glasses to AR headsets, Boz shares how AI is powering a new wave of computing—one that’s ambient, agentic, and driven by human intent.
They explore what it takes to build for this future, the risks of changing interaction models, and why the next big platform shift may already be in motion.
This episode is part of our AI Revolution series, where we explore how industry leaders are leveraging generative AI to steer innovation and navigate the next major platform shift. Discover more insights and content from the AI Revolution series at a16z.com/AIRevolution.
Resources:
Find Boz on X: https://x.com/boztank
Find David on X: https://x.com/davidgeorge8
Stay Updated:
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Stay Updated:
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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
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Meta vs Snap’s AR Vision for the Future!
There's a lot to get into this week and no Marques to help us through it (kind of)! He's too busy dominating at Nationals so Andrew and David talk us through everything from the new Snapdragon chip to the new hearing aid feature on the AirPods Pro 2. After that, Ellis joins them to discuss the pros and cons of the new Snap spectacles and the Meta Orion AR glasses. Before we wrap it all up with trivia, Marques had a quick chat with Boz from Meta about the tech inside the Orion glasses. Enjoy!
Links:
Apple's new accessories: https://bit.ly/4fhK4TJ
Samsung Tri-Fold rumor: https://bit.ly/48kkuLC
Boox Palma 2: https://bit.ly/3UoAg2e
Snapdragon X Elite: https://bit.ly/4eVfcsF
Music provided by Epidemic Sound
Shop the merch:
https://shop.mkbhd.com
Socials:
Waveform: https://twitter.com/WVFRM
Waveform: https://www.threads.net/@waveformpodcast
Marques: https://www.threads.net/@mkbhd
Andrew: https://www.threads.net/@andrew_manganelli
David Imel: https://www.threads.net/@davidimel
Adam: https://www.threads.net/@parmesanpapi17
Ellis: https://twitter.com/EllisRovin
TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@waveformpodcast
Join the Discord:
https://discord.gg/mkbhd
Music by 20syl:
https://bit.ly/2S53xlC
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Meta's CTO On Its Augmented Reality Dreams — With Andrew Bosworth
Andrew Bosworth is the Chief Technology Officer at Meta. Bosworth joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss Meta's new Orion augmented reality glasses and the future of human-computer interaction. Tune in to hear his insights on the technical capabilities of AR, the potential of artificial intelligence, and how these technologies could reshape the way we interact with computers and each other in the coming years. We also cover the evolution of computing paradigms, Meta's strategy in the AI and AR/VR space, and the philosophical implications of advanced AI. Hit play for a fascinating conversation with one of the top technology executives at the forefront of the AR and AI revolution.
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Making Meta | Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth (CTO)
Andrew Bosworth—or Boz, as most people know him—is the chief technology officer at Meta and head of Reality Labs, the company’s augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) organization, which he created in 2017. Boz joined Facebook in 2006 as their approximately 10th engineer, and in his 18-year tenure he built the original News Feed, Messenger, and Groups, as well as many early anti-abuse and infrastructure systems. At various times he has been the engineering director overseeing Events, Places, Photos, Videos, Timeline, Privacy, and more. Before Reality Labs, he ran the Ads and Business Platform product group, where he led engineering, product, research, analytics, and design, taking annual revenue from $4 billion to $40 billion in five years. Andrew currently leads Meta’s efforts in AR, VR, AI, and consumer hardware across Quest, Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and more. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Stories from the early days of Facebook
• Lessons from Meta’s downturn and recent turnaround
• Meta’s culture of transparency
• Boz’s thoughts on the Apple Vision Pro
• Why communication is the job
• Why you should regularly seek help from your manager
• Lessons in setting incentives and avoiding their misuse
• Why you should optimize for a variety in experience in your career
• The importance of trusting your own expertise and not being swayed by external opinions
• Stories of failures and personal growth
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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-meta-andrew-boz-bosworth-cto
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Where to find Andrew Bosworth:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boz/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boztank/
• X: https://twitter.com/boztank
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bosworth-8247a01/
• Website: https://boz.com/
• Photography website: https://wardenshortbow.com/
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Boz’s background
(04:48) Fun facts about him
(07:20) Early days at Facebook
(11:11) Advice for founders
(13:22) Leveraging leaders
(19:27) Tips for communicating with managers
(22:10) Transparency at Meta
(27:01) The importance of clear guidelines
(29:11) Involvement in the details
(33:15) Building the News Feed
(37:28) Passion and career growth
(40:25) Exploring new opportunities
(42:02) The value of variety in experience
(45:01) Giving and receiving feedback
(47:38) Boz’s tattoos
(51:30) Communication is the job
(01:00:47) Comparing VR headsets: Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro
(01:10:41) Meta’s downturn and turnaround
(01:16:10) Navigating org changes
(01:20:43) Lessons from failure
(01:26:33) Closing thoughts
(01:29:57) Lightning round
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Referenced:
• Reality Labs: https://about.meta.com/realitylabs/
• Quest: https://www.meta.com/quest/
• Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses: https://www.ray-ban.com/usa/ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses
• Taekwondo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo
• 4-H: https://4-h.org/
• David Copperfield’s website: https://www.davidcopperfield.com/html/
• MC Hammer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mchammer/
• George W. Bush: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-w-bush/
• Fry’s Electronics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry%27s_Electronics
• Association for Computing Machinery: https://www.acm.org
• Get It Done: https://boz.com/articles/get-it-done
• Patrick Stewart on X: https://twitter.com/sirpatstew
• The FB Exec Practice That Changed the Way I Lead (about HPMs): https://livingos.substack.com/p/fb-exec-hpm
• Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zuck
• Chris Cox on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-cox-2896b841/
• Javier Olivan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javierolivan/
• Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/brian-cheskys-new-playbook/
• Eye of Sauron: https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Eye_of_Sauron
• Ruchi Sanghvi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsanghvi/
• Eric Schmidt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-e-schmidt/
• Sheryl Sandberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sandberg-5126652/
• Best Advice Sheryl Sandberg Received: If Offered a Seat on Rocket Ship, Get On: https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/newsmakers/best-advice-sheryl-sandberg-received-don-t-idiot-161459450.html
• Veritas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veritas
• Communication is The Job: https://boz.com/articles/communication-is-the-job
• Repetition does not spoil the prayer: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/repetition-does-spoil-prayer-constantine-constantinides-m-d-ph-d--1f/
• Janet Lansbury’s website: https://www.janetlansbury.com/
• Dr. Becky on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside
• Boz to the Future Episode 18: The Future According to Matthew Ball: https://www.meta.com/blog/quest/boz-to-the-future-episode-18-matthew-ball-metaverse-epyllion/
• Apple Vision Pro: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro
• Quest 3 headset: https://www.meta.com/quest/quest-3/
• Virtual desktop: https://www.meta.com/experiences/2017050365004772/
• Meta Horizon Workrooms: https://www.meta.com/experiences/2514011888645651/
• After trying the Vision Pro, Mark Zuckerberg says Quest 3 ‘is the better product, period’: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/13/24072413/mark-zuckerberg-apple-vision-pro-review-quest-3
• Lou Holtz on X: https://twitter.com/CoachLouHoltz88
• Gell-Mann amnesia effect: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_Amnesia_effect
• “Wet streets cause rain”: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19026568
• Michael Crichton on X: https://twitter.com/CrichtonBooks
• AI research at Meta: https://ai.meta.com/research/
• Llama 2: https://llama.meta.com/
• Warren Buffett quote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/warren_buffett_383933
• Mark Slee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcslee/
• Dave Fetterman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davefetterman/
• Emacs and Vim: https://dev.to/george_udonte/emacs-and-vim-an-overview-for-beginners-2e65
• Ami Vora on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amvora/
• The Dream Machine: https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Machine-M-Mitchell-Waldrop/dp/1732265119
• Alan Turing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing
• Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Inside-Guide-Becoming-Parent/dp/B09Y4WG7RJ
• Dr. Becky’s website: https://www.goodinside.com/
• The Mandalorian on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/series/the-mandalorian/3jLIGMDYINqD
• Scott Trowbridge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-trowbridge-b70866/
• Dave Filoni on X: https://twitter.com/dave_filoni
• Jon Favreau on X: https://twitter.com/jon_favreau
• Mercedes-Benz AMG EQS Sedan: https://www.mbusa.com/en/vehicles/model/eqs/sedan/amgeqsv4
• Tracey Emin “Trust Yourself”: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/tracey-emin-trust-yourself
• Tracey Emin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceyeminstudio
• Rick Rubin: Protocols to Access Creative Energy and Process | Huberman Lab Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpgqXCkRO-w
• Ansel Adams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansel_Adams
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Meta’s Andrew Bosworth on moving Facebook to the metaverse
Facebook announced a major corporate rebrand by changing its company name to Meta. The new name is meant to solidify the social media giant’s longterm bet on building the metaverse. On this episode of Decoder, vice president of Reality Labs Andrew Bosworth talked with The Verge’s Alex Heath about Facebook’s rebrand to Meta, how content moderation will work in the metaverse, and the hardware journey from virtual to mixed reality, and eventually, AR glasses.
Links:
Mark Zuckerberg on why Facebook is rebranding to Meta
Facebook is spending at least $10 billion this year on its metaverse division
Eight things we learned from the Facebook Papers
Facebook is planning to rebrand the company with a new name
Transcript:
https://www.theverge.com/e/22517027
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Andrew Marino and we are edited by Callie Wright. Our music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
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Recode Decode: Instagram's Adam Mosseri, Facebook's Andrew Bosworth, and former tech insiders on the outside (Live at Code 2019)
In these live interviews from the 2019 Code Conference, Casey Newton first talks to Instagram boss Adam Mosseri and Facebook's head of AR and VR, Andrew "Boz" Bosworth; then; later in the show, he interviews three former tech insiders: former Googler Jessica Powell, ex-Facebooker Antonio García-Martínez, and Twitter/Google veteran Nicole Wong.
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Facebook executives Adam Mosseri and Andrew Bosworth on splitting up Facebook, privacy and more
Facebook executives Adam Mosseri and Andrew Bosworth sit down with The Verge’s Casey Newton at Code Conference to discuss antitrust and the prospect of breaking up Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. They also discuss Facebook Portal, and how the company is adopting new approaches to privacy, content moderation, and more.
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