Facebook Is Reportedly Creating its Own OS

Facebook is creating an operating system (OS) to power its burgeoning hardware business, The Information reported yesterday. If successful, this new system could power Portal, Oculus, and whatever AR hardware is in the pipeline.

• FB is also developing its own silicon chips and intelligent voice assistant, but no word on when either will be ready for market.

Sound familiar? FB is taking a page from Apple CEO Tim Cook's doctrine. Earlier this year, Cook said Apple has a "long-term strategy of owning and controlling the primary technologies behind the products we make."

Feeling FOMO?

Facebook doesn't want to miss the next big social medium. Earlier this decade, it bought Instagram and WhatsApp in what now looks like a stroke of genius. Then FB veered into hardware acquisitions:

• In 2014, it bought VR headset maker Oculus for $2.3 billion.
• This fall, it snatched up neural interface developer Ctrl-labs for ~$750 million.

Zoom out: As FB's hardware bets come into focus, it wants total control over these products’ destinies. A custom-built OS would help FB wean itself off Google's Android.