.png){kind=logo}
Meta Platforms has acquired AI wearables startup Limitless, marking another major step in its strategy to build AI-powered personal and AR devices. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Meta’s efforts in productivity-focused wearables and next-generation mixed-reality solutions.
Meta confirmed the purchase of US startup Limitless, which makes a wearable pendant. It records and summarises conversations and meetings using artificial intelligence.
Financial details of the deal to acquire the five-year-old Denver-based firm were not disclosed.
"We're excited that Limitless will be joining Meta to help accelerate our work to build AI-enabled wearables," a Meta spokesperson said.
"Meta recently announced a new vision to bring personal superintelligence to everyone, and a key part of that vision is building incredible AI-enabled wearables," Limitless co-founder and Chief Executive Dan Siroker said in a message posted on the startup's website.
"We share this vision, and we'll be joining Meta to help bring our shared vision to life.”
The startup was founded by Brett Bejcek and Dan Siroker. The wearable could attach to the shirt like a wireless mic. It can also be worn like a necklace. Limitless has raised a total of $33 million from investors, including venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz and the co-founders of OpenAI, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. It was valued at $368 million during its latest funding round in 2023, according to reports.
Limitless hinted that increased market competition made it difficult for it to compete. It has become more difficult as key players such as OpenAI and Meta have begun developing their own hardware.
“When we started Limitless five years ago, the world was very different,” wrote Siroker in the announcement. “AI was a pipe dream to many. Hardware startups were considered unfundable, and a business that did both AI and hardware would have been considered ludicrous. But today is different. The world has changed. We’re no longer working on a weird fringe idea. We’re building a future that now seems inevitable. We’re not alone.”
Customers will no longer have to pay a subscription fee and will be moved to the Unlimited Plan for the time being. Other functionality will be wound down, including its non-pendant software “Rewind.” It recorded users’ desktop activity and turned it into a searchable record.
Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has made AI a priority at the tech giant with a stated aim of achieving "superintelligence.”
AI is used in Meta apps, including Facebook and Instagram. Meta has partnered with EssilorLuxottica to ramp up the capabilities of smartglasses.
Zuckerberg has launched an aggressive recruitment campaign to pursue his AI ambitions. The company has hired executives from OpenAI, Apple, and Google with multibillion-dollar offers.
Meta also invested heavily in Scale AI earlier this year and hired the startup's co-founder, Alexandr Wang. He is also leading Meta’s Superintelligence Labs.
Meta has taken another strategic step toward building a robust AI hardware ecosystem with this acquisition. The integration of advanced wearable technology indicates more immersive AR experiences and next-gen productivity tools ahead.
With the production of its unique smart glasses lineup and other tech wearables, high expectations have been placed on the firm for innovation. All eyes now remain on how Meta leverages this acquisition in its evolving product lineup.
