That may be a flawed analogy. Meta tried to create a new market with the Metaverse, but Amazon overhired in their Alexa department because they were surprised

That may be a flawed analogy. Meta tried to create a new market with the Metaverse, but Amazon overhired in their Alexa department because they were surprised by the financial success of smart speakers and wanted to double down. Anecdotally, I often see the trashcan speakers in peoples' kitchens, even if people usually say that they only use it as a fancy radio alarm clock. I rarely meet people who have tried Oculus' recent hardware, and those who have are usually gadgetheads who keep it in a closet as a party novelty. There was a spike in interest when Valve released the Vive and Oculus was an independent entity, but that was more about gaming than social experiences, and it seems to have tapered off in my social circles.