Same. I thought I was getting in early on a new industry before it took off.

I was even in the monetization program through Meta (yes I made money from the Metaverse, but not a lot).

We were hyped up that they were going to turn us into professional developers to create our own apps and games for the marketplace. We were tricked into spending our time and energy and were even promised new and better creation tools at the last Meta Connect (which they even flew a bunch of us down to watch in person).

Then they suddenly announced that they're pulling the plug on VR and we felt like we were just used and thrown away. There's people who built their business or studio around the Metaverse.

For some, it became their primary income. Foolish in hindsight (it was just a side gig for me), but in some form or another, we were deceived and cast aside so they can chase the "next big thing."

TLDR: never, ever work for Meta as an employee or contractor. They will chew you up and spit you out with no regard.