Andrew Bosworth, commonly known as Boz, has significantly influenced Meta’s trajectory as its Chief Technology Officer since January 2022. Leading the Reality Labs team, Bosworth oversees Meta’s ambitious projects in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and consumer hardware, including the Quest VR headset and Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses.
A Harvard graduate, Bosworth began his career at Microsoft, working on Visio before joining Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook in 2006. As one of Facebook's earliest engineers, he created the News Feed and several anti-abuse systems, some of which are still in use today. Bosworth’s early contributions also included optimizing site speed and reliability and establishing the company’s six-week bootcamp program to expand and nurture its engineering team.
Throughout his tenure at Meta, Bosworth has held various key positions. He led the integration of Messages and Chat products, improved their stability, and managed teams responsible for Groups and Messenger. As an engineering director, he oversaw several critical areas, including Events, Places, Photos, Videos, Timeline, Privacy, Mobile Monetization, and Feed Ads. His leadership extended to his role as vice president of ads and business platform, where he directed engineering, product, research, analytics, and design.
In 2017, Bosworth founded Meta’s AR/VR organization, now known as Reality Labs. His efforts in this realm underscore Meta's commitment to pioneering advancements in AR and VR technologies. Despite the challenges and sacrifices associated with working in a startup, Bosworth has expressed a deep appreciation for his journey at Facebook, recounting the camaraderie and dedication among its early employees.
In an interview on Lenny's Podcast, Bosworth candidly discussed the sacrifices he made during his early career. He revealed that he worked 120 hours a week, slept no more than four consecutive hours a day for two years, and often had to resolve technical issues without relying on established support departments. These experiences, Bosworth noted, are seldom depicted in the romanticized success stories of startups.
Bosworth’s dedication to Meta and his role in its development have not been without controversy. In 2016, he wrote an internal memo titled "The Ugly," which argued that Facebook’s goal of connecting people justified its practices, despite potential negative consequences. The memo, leaked in 2018, sparked polarized reactions within the company. CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly disagreed with the memo’s sentiments, emphasizing that connecting people must also bring them closer together. Bosworth later clarified that the memo was intended to provoke discussion rather than reflect his beliefs.
Beyond his work at Meta, Bosworth is an active member of his community. He serves as the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for the Peninsula Open Space Trust and has been recognized for his contributions to the Burlingame/SFO Chamber of Commerce and nonprofit 4-H.
Bosworth’s journey from a developer to Meta’s CTO highlights his significant impact on the company’s growth and technological advancements. His experiences and insights continue to shape Meta’s efforts to innovate and connect people worldwide.