Meta Buys AI Wearables Startup Limitless, Expands Vision for ‘Personal Superintelligence’

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) is making another push into AI-powered hardware, announcing plans to acquire AI wearables startup Limitless, the maker of a pendant-style device that records and transcribes real-world conversations.

The deal, which Limitless confirmed in a blog post, underscores Meta’s ambition to embed artificial intelligence into everyday consumer devices and cement its role in what CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called “personal superintelligence.” Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Limitless co-founder and CEO Dan Siroker said the startup will join Meta to help advance that shared vision. “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. We share this vision and we'll be joining Meta to help bring our shared vision to life,” Siroker wrote.

A Meta spokesperson echoed that message, saying the company is “excited that Limitless will be joining Meta to help accelerate our work to build AI-enabled wearables.”The Limitless team will join Meta’s Reality Labs wearables organization, supporting development of next-generation AI devices rather than continuing to sell and scale Limitless hardware independently.

Limitless, formerly known as Rewind, built an AI assistant ecosystem around memory and productivity. Its flagship product is a pendant-style wearable that:

• Clips to clothing or hangs from a lanyard
   
• Records in-person conversations
   
• Generates transcripts and searchable summaries via a companion app

The company also previously offered desktop software that captured a user’s on-screen activity and turned it into a searchable record, but that non-pendant “Rewind” product is being wound down as part of the transition.

Limitless said it will: Stop selling new hardware devices, continue supporting existing users for about a year, move current customers to an “Unlimited Plan” at no additional subscription charge for now, offer users the ability to export or delete their data via the app, and require existing users to agree to revised privacy terms to maintain service going forward The startup had raised more than $33 million from investors including a16z, NEA, First Round Capital, and high-profile backers like Sam Altman.

Meta has been steadily positioning itself as a leader in AI-enabled consumer devices, especially around smart glasses and mixed reality:

• It currently partners with Ray-Ban and Oakley (EssilorLuxottica) on smart glasses that integrate on-device AI.
   
• It is actively building out AR / AI glasses and other hardware under its Reality Labs division.
   
• Earlier this week, Meta hired longtime Apple design executive Alan Dye, a move widely interpreted as a serious escalation of its hardware ambitions.

Additionally, while Meta has not indicated it plans to launch its own pendant device, Limitless is expected to support Meta’s existing and future wearables, rather than competing as a standalone hardware brand. That said, with major platforms now shipping or planning their own AI wearables, Limitless noted it was no longer working on a fringe concept, but in a space where scale and distribution heavily favor Big Tech. The company will continue to operate its service for existing users during the transition, but the acquisition likely marks the end of Limitless as an independent consumer brand.

About Meta Platforms, Inc.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) is a global technology company that builds products and services to help people connect and share. Its family of apps includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual reality, augmented reality, and AI-enabled devices such as Meta Quest headsets and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The company is increasingly focused on integrating advanced generative AI and “personal superintelligence” into consumer hardware and software experiences.

At the time of publishing, Stocks.News holds positions in Meta as mentioned in the article.