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Facebook has announced plans to hire 10,000 people in the European Union over the next half-decade. The social media giant announced the plan on Monday, which intends to build what the company is calling a metaverse.

The concept refers to a nascent online world that facilitates communications in virtual spaces. Think of it like a Ready Player One-type deal.

The plan would be a big step toward making the concept, which the CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been touting, come to fruition.

A step in the right direction

In September, Facebook committed $50 million to make the metaverse come to life. Companies like Roblox and Epic Games have already gained early access.

Facebook launched the testing phase of a new virtual-reality remote work app that allows viewers to leverage Oculus Quest 2 headsets and attend meetings as avatars of themselves, much like you would in a game.

The company also announced in July that it was creating a product team for the metaverse, which would fall under the Facebook Reality Labs umbrella, which is responsible for the company’s augmented reality and virtual reality group.

Blurred lines

The company said that the investments in new jobs indicate the company is confident in the strength of the European tech industry and the potential of European tech talent.

Europe, the company said, is very important to its strategy.

At the moment, there are concerns that the concept of a metaverse is blurring the lines between the real world and the virtual one. One of the examples of when it has been used has been Ariana Grande and Travis Scott performing for huge audiences who watched from home via the Fortnite game.