Meta’s layoffs leave Supernatural fitness users in mourning

Tencia Benavidez, a dedicated user of the Supernatural fitness app from New Mexico, began her virtual reality workouts during the pandemic and has continued for five years. For her, exercising in VR has been a game-changer, especially living in a rural area where accessing a gym is challenging, particularly in harsh winter conditions. Benavidez appreciates the genuine connection she feels with Supernatural’s coaches, who she describes as authentic and supportive. "They seem like really authentic individuals that were not talking down to you," she reflects. "There’s just something really special about those coaches." In 2022, Meta acquired Supernatural as part of its ambitious venture into the metaverse, a move that sparked significant legal scrutiny from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over antitrust concerns. Despite the hurdles, Meta succeeded in the acquisition, leaving some Supernatural users hopeful that the company’s resources would help sustain the platform. "Meta fought the government to buy this thing," Benavidez points out. "All that just for them to shut it down? What was the point?" On Tuesday, it was reported by Bloomberg that Meta has laid off over 1,000 employees involved in its VR and metaverse initiatives. This decision follows substantial financial losses the company has incurred in its metaverse ventures. Alongside the layoffs, Meta has also closed three internal VR studios responsible for popular titles like Resident Evil 4 and Deadpool VR. Goff Johnson, another Supernatural user, expressed his disappointment, suggesting that charging more for the service could have been a viable option instead of such drastic cuts. "If it was a bottom-line thing, I think they could have charged more money. I think people would have paid for it. This just seems unnecessarily heartless."