New Canadian engineering hub and investments in talent will drive innovation as Canadians build for the metaverse
TORONTO, March 29, 2022 /CNW/ – Today, Meta is announcing the creation of a new Canadian engineering hub, to be based in Toronto, and plans to hire up to 2,500 employees for remote and in-office positions across Canada over the next five years to help build for the metaverse, the next generation of social technology. The expanded presence will include establishing the first Canadian WhatsApp, Messenger and Remote Presence engineering teams and growing the Canadian Reality Labs and AI Research teams.
“The metaverse has the potential to unlock access to creative, social and economic opportunities and we want to work closely with Canadians, who are already building for this future, to shape it from the start,’ said Garrick Tiplady, VP and Country Director at Meta in Canada. “Canada has always been important to Meta. We’ve helped millions of Canadians and businesses connect, create, and grow and we’re looking forward to continuing to support the Canadian economy and innovation ecosystem with these investments.”
Meta has set out to build the next evolution of social technologies over the next decade, which will create more immersive and engaging online social experiences. The majority of roles in Canada will be engineering focused and are expected to span across building extended reality experiences and Meta technologies.
“This major investment builds on Meta’s long-term commitment to our province and is a strong vote of confidence in our skilled and diverse workforce,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford. “It sends a clear signal to the rest of the world that Ontario is, once again, the best place anywhere to do business.”
“Our province is home to an incredibly talented workforce, strong postsecondary education sector, and a world-class innovation ecosystem – and Meta’s investment in Ontario is proof that all of these things make it the best place for the discovery and development of the technologies of the future,” said Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “This exciting milestone for Meta will mean the creation of new jobs and will strengthen our province’s innovation sector, and we congratulate them on this success.”
Today, Meta is also announcing an additional $510,000 in unrestricted grants to 17 Canadian research labs, working on research that will advance innovations needed to build the metaverse. Unrestricted grants provide maximum flexibility for labs to pursue their mission, and once published, their research becomes publicly accessible to drive further innovation across the industry.
This work builds on the company’s investments in the Canadian innovation ecosystem over the years, including the opening of Meta’s AI Research Lab in Montreal and Reality Labs Research hub in Toronto. As Meta has built out the Reality Labs Research teams in Canada over the last five years, it has spent more than $30 million with local Canadian suppliers. In addition, it has provided nearly $1 million of unrestricted funding for Canadian universities from coast to coast.
“Unlocking the full potential of the metaverse will require multiple major technological breakthroughs and collaboration by researchers, industry partners and others all over the world,” said Daniel Wigdor, Director of Research Science, Reality Labs Research. “Canadians are already playing an important role developing new technologies to power the metaverse, and we’re thrilled to support this work to move the industry closer towards making the metaverse a reality.”
As Meta embarks on this journey of innovation together, thousands of Canadians will find opportunity in building for the metaverse – at Meta, in the broader industry, and as digital creators.
Interested candidates can visit metacareers.com and apply for open positions.
Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.
SOURCE Meta
