Join the businesses who have begun to edge out competitors by scouring the web for alternative data.

When Facebook ($FB) acquired Oculus in 2014 for $3 billion, the world waited to see what the largest social network would do with the technology. So far, the deal hasn't netted major movement in VR for either Facebook or Oculus. There are, of course, dozens of reasons for that. But VR's first cousin, AR (Augmented Reality), appears to be top of mind at Facebook, according to recent job listing trends.

Since early 2018, AR jobs at Facebook have swelled from less than 10 to 140 as of this month.

An ongoing search for 140 professionals with expertise in AR isn't a blip; it's a concerted effort by Facebook to figure out and execute the technology as part of a larger effort, most likely related to the company's Spark AR augmented reality platform that is a potential revenue source when it comes to advertising and product placement.

Details on Facebook's interest in AR have been scant but broad. Last fall, Engadget reported that Facebook "sees combining digital objects with the physical world" as the prefect way to keep people "ties to its services". Facebook Messenger already includes simple AR games and Instagram has already integrated dozens of AR tricks for selfies.

But hiring for 140 people points to more than just selfies and Messenger games. In January of this year, Faccebook filed patents for a small AR headset that creates a "waveguide display using two parallel surfaces". In short, the company is investing heavily in technology and, according to the data we report here, talent.

The vast majority of Facebook's AR hires are being done at its Menlo Park, CA headquarters followed by Redmond, Washington.

Some of the listings, including one for a Leadership Sourcer (a recruiting position), appear to be repeats for multiple locations. But the fact that recruitment positions are in high demand points to accelerated growth in Facebook's AR team(s). Otherwise, demand is already heavy for software engineers.