Facebook to hire 10,000 in EU workers to build 'metaverse'

Washington: The social media giant, Facebook is planning to hire 10,000 people in the European Union over the next five years to develop a so-called ‘metaverse’ (An online world where people exist and communicate in shared virtual spaces).

In a blog post on Sunday, the company said that those high-skilled workers will help build “the metaverse,” a futuristic notion for connecting people online that encompasses augmented and virtual reality.

"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," blog post added.

The company further added that investing in the EU offered many advantages, including access to a large consumer market, first-class universities and high-quality talent.

In metaverse, people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been a leading voice on the concept. However, the social media giant has made creation of metaverse one of its major priorities.

Despite its history of buying up rivals, Facebook claims the metaverse "won't be built overnight by a single company" and has promised to collaborate.

Moreover the company has recently invested $50m (£36.3m) in funding non-profit groups to help build the metaverse responsibly.

As per officials familiar with the development, the true metaverse idea could take 10 to 15 years.

Some critics say this latest announcement is designed to re-establish the company's reputation and divert attention, after a series of damaging scandals in recent months.