Meta has acquired AI wearable startup Limitless, folding the team into its Reality Labs wearables organization as competition intensifies in AI-enabled hardware. Image Source: ChatGPT-5
Meta Acquires AI Wearable Startup Limitless to Accelerate AI Glasses Strategy
Key Takeaways: Meta and Limitless Acquisition
Meta acquires Limitless, an AI wearable startup.
Sales of the Limitless pendant are discontinued.
Existing customers receive one year of support and free unlimited service.
Non-pendant software, including Rewind desktop recording, will be sunset.
The team will join Meta Reality Labs’ wearables division.
Users can export or delete their data.
Meta Acquires AI Wearable Startup Limitless
Meta has acquired Limitless, the AI device startup formerly known as Rewind, as part of its growing push into AI-enabled wearables. The company announced the acquisition on Friday, confirming that the Limitless team will join Meta’s Reality Labs wearables organization.
Limitless, best known for its AI-powered pendant that records and summarizes conversations, will stop selling new hardware devices. However, the company will continue supporting existing pendant customers for at least one year.
What Limitless Built
Founded by Brett Bejcek and Dan Siroker (co-founder and former CEO of Optimizely), Limitless pivoted last year into AI hardware with the launch of its $99 pendant.
The small wearable could be clipped onto clothing like a wireless microphone or worn as a necklace. It continuously recorded conversations and used AI to create searchable summaries, positioning itself among a new wave of always-on AI devices. The product entered a competitive and experimental category that also includes other AI pendants, such as Friend.
The company previously offered a broader software platform under the name Rewind that recorded desktop activity, but that functionality will now be phased out.
What Happens for Existing Customers
Limitless outlined several immediate changes for current users:
No more subscription fees: Customers are being moved to the Unlimited Plan at no cost.
One year of hardware support: The pendant will continue to function with ongoing support for at least a year.
Software wind-down: Non-pendant tools, including desktop recording features in Rewind, will be discontinued.
Data control options: Users can export all data or delete their data within the app.
Customers who continue using the device will need to accept updated Privacy Policies and Terms of Service, reflecting the transition.
Why Meta Made This Move
Limitless cited increased competition and the growing presence of large AI players as a key challenge. In its announcement, the company said it shares Meta’s goal of “bringing personal superintelligence to everyone”, a vision Meta has tied closely to wearable technology.
“When we started Limitless five years ago, the world was very different,” wrote Dan Siroker, co-founder and CEO of Limitless. “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.”
Meta currently focuses on AI and AR glasses, including Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta, and in-lens display concepts, rather than standalone pendants. Limitless indicated that its role is more likely to support existing Meta products rather than introduce a new AI pendant.
Meta confirmed the acquisition in a brief statement shared with TechCrunch:
“We’re excited that Limitless will be joining Meta to help accelerate our work to build AI-enabled wearables.”
Meta did not disclose additional details about how it plans to use Limitless’ technology, stating only that the team will join its Reality Labs wearables organization.
Q&A: Meta’s Acquisition of Limitless
Q: What did Meta acquire from Limitless?
A: Meta acquired the Limitless team, technology expertise, and intellectual property, integrating the startup into its Reality Labs wearables organization. The deal does not include plans to continue selling Limitless hardware.
Q: Is Meta planning to release an AI pendant?
A: No. Limitless indicated that the acquisition is focused on supporting Meta’s existing AI and AR wearable products, such as Ray-Ban Meta and future in-lens display glasses, rather than launching a standalone AI pendant.
Q: What happens to existing Limitless customers?
A: Existing customers will receive at least one year of continued support, free access to the Unlimited Plan, and the ability to export or delete their data.
Q: Why was Limitless acquired now?
A: Limitless cited growing competition from large AI platforms and the increasing difficulty for small AI hardware startups to compete independently as major players like Meta and OpenAI build proprietary devices.
Q: Where will the Limitless team work inside Meta?
A: The team will join Meta’s Reality Labs wearables organization, focusing on accelerating development of AI-enabled wearable products.
Q: Will Limitless’ non-hardware software continue?
A: No. The company confirmed it will sunset non-pendant functionality, including desktop recording tools originally associated with its former Rewind product.
What This Means: AI Wearables Are Consolidating Fast
Meta’s acquisition of Limitless reflects a broader reality in the AI hardware space: small, specialized AI device companies are finding it difficult to compete independently as major platforms accelerate their own wearable roadmaps.
For Meta, the deal brings in real-world experience building always-on, AI-assisted hardware, along with a team that has spent years exploring how AI fits into daily human interaction.
For the broader market, it underscores a key shift. The future of AI wearables may not belong to standalone startups, but to platform ecosystems where hardware, models, and distribution are tightly integrated.
Sources:
Limitless — Official Website
https://www.limitless.ai/
TechCrunch — Meta Acquires AI Device Startup Limitless
https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/05/meta-acquires-ai-device-startup-limitless/
Limitless — Privacy Policy
https://www.limitless.ai/privacy-policy
Limitless — Terms of Service
https://www.limitless.ai/terms
Limitless Help Center — How to Download Your Data
https://help.limitless.ai/en/articles/13004987-how-to-download-your-limitless-transcripts-and-account-info
Limitless Help Center — How to Delete Your Account and Data
https://help.limitless.ai/en/articles/13005203-how-to-delete-your-limitless-account-and-data
TechCrunch — Rewind Raises Millions to Rethink Memory
https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/01/rewind-wants-to-revamp-how-you-remember-with-millions-from-a16z/
TechCrunch — Friend Delays Shipments of AI Companion Pendant
https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/20/friend-delays-shipments-of-its-ai-companion-pendant/
TechCrunch — Sam Altman on OpenAI’s Forthcoming AI Device
https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/24/altman-describes-openais-forthcoming-ai-device-as-more-peaceful-and-calm-than-the-iphone/
Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.