Microsoft Hit by Defections as Tech Giants Seek Talent to Build Metaverse

Microsoft Corp.’s augmented-reality team has lost around 100 people in the past year, many of them to Meta Platforms Inc., said former employees of the software company and online job profiles, as the battle heats up for workers with skills to build the metaverse.

Competitors have been snapping up people with experience developing Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented-reality headsets, sometimes offering to double their salaries, said former Microsoft employees. The Microsoft augmented-reality group employs around 1,500 people, they said.