Meta’s Internal Memo Reveals AI Pendant, Wearables for Work, and a Target of 10 Million Devices in Six Months
Meta plans to test an AI pendant within the next year, launch a business-focused "Wearables for Work" service, and sell 10 million wearable devices in the second half of 2026, as Reality Labs continues to lose billions each quarter.
Meta Platforms plans to start testing an AI pendant in the next year as part of an ambitious roadmap for wearable devices aimed at reversing the huge losses in its hardware division.
The Information published the details on citing an internal memo from Meta VP of wearables, Alex Himel, that maps out one of the most expansive hardware strategies the company has committed to since its pivot away from the metaverse.
What the memo reveals is a company aggressively positioning wearables as the primary delivery system for consumer AI in the physical world. However, Meta declined to comment to Reuters on the report.
The AI Pendant and the Limitless Acquisition Behind It
Last year, Meta acquired AI-wearables startup Limitless, maker of a pendant-style device that records and transcribes real-world conversations, to speed up efforts towards developing next-generation AI-enabled wearables.
The AI pendant described in Himel’s memo is the direct product of that acquisition, a wearable designed to sit around the neck or clip to clothing, passively listening to and contextualising the wearer’s environment in real time.
Unlike smart glasses, which require a user to be wearing prescription or fashion eyewear, a pendant has no fit requirement and can be worn by anyone, regardless of whether they use glasses.
The concept positions Meta’s AI assistant in an entirely ambient layer, always present, always recording relevant context, a category that OpenAI’s Jony Ive device project is also pursuing and that has sparked significant privacy debate.
The pendant is in testing, not yet in production, but its inclusion in a VP-level internal memo signals it is past the concept stage and in active engineering development.
Wearables for Work, 10 Million Units, and the Ray-Ban Expansion
Meta currently has partnerships with EssilorLuxottica brands Ray-Ban and Oakley to make AI-powered smart glasses, though currently navigating ACLU backlash over privacy.
According to the memo, the immediate next step in this ecosystem is a new pair of smart glasses code-named “Modelo,” which could launch as soon as next month.
To complement the hardware expansion, the “Wearables for Work” initiative will bring these devices into corporate environments, turning audio and visual data into practical features such as real-time translation, meeting summaries, and hands-free productivity tools.
However, scaling to a 10 million unit target in H2 2026 remains an incredibly steep mountain for Reality Labs, a division that generated just $402 million in revenue against its multi-billion dollar quarterly burn rate.
While competitors and standalone startups experiment with niche, screenless form factors, Meta is betting its massive distribution footprint can bridge the gap between internal executive roadmaps and mainstream consumer adoption.
Source: Meta Memo Outlines Ambitious Hardware Plans, Including New AI Pendant
