This Week in the Metaverse (W43.2022)
This Week in the Metaverse (W43.2022)
Making 10 wishes for the emerging metaverse + news, opinions and announcements I read, watched or listened to this week.
Welcome to Letters - commentary, analysis and ideas from Into The Metaverse.
Here are the items that captured my attention This Week in the Metaverse.
10 wishes for the metaverse
News, opinions and announcements I read, watched or listened to this week
Let’s dig in!
(1) 10 wishes for the metaverse
With the metaverse remaining in a nascent stage of evolution, and with so many people and companies dismissing what it could become, I am more bullish than ever not only about the metaverse as a concept but also, and perhaps more importantly, about the change it can bring. Therefore I’m using my birthday today to make 10 wishes for the emerging metaverse:
Stay humble, avoid hype and focus on meaningfully impacting peoples’ lives
Elevate creativity and ingenuity
Bring prosperity to all stakeholders - users, creators, platforms, communities
Make people feel good about themselves
Amplify culture that connects people through shared passion
Nurture communities and sense of belonging, at scale
Build bridges for unity, not division
Inspire our children to shape a world they want to live in
Promote respectful ways for expressing ourselves
Don’t forget about IRL; It’s part of you
(2) News, opinions and announcements I read, watched or listened to this week
Emerging Platforms
Roblox removes ads and sponsored opps for non-teens → link
Conversation between Dave Baszucki (CEO, Roblox) and Christina Wootton (VP Global Partnerships, Roblox) - link
Roblox: Hollywood’s metaverse safe space as stars retreat from crypto winter
Snap’s Evan Spiegel Slams the Metaverse, Touts Own AR Vision → link
Gucci Vault Opens In The Sandbox, Bringing Luxury Fashion Into The Metaverse → link
Big Tech
Xbox’s Phil Spencer says the metaverse is a ‘poorly built video game’ → link
Time to Get Fit — an Open Letter from Altimeter to Mark Zuckerberg (and the Meta Board of Directors) → link
L’Oréal and Meta launch metaverse startup accelerator → link
Meta is losing billions, but people are making real-life money in the metaverse: ‘It’s been an incredibly positive experience’ - link
Meta plans to lose even more money building the metaverse while its ads business shrinks → link
Apple VP Greg Joswiak says ‘metaverse’ is a word he will never use → link
Other
History tells us the metaverse could take off. For now it’s Sadville 2.0 - link
Why the future of social connectivity lies in the metaverse - link
Metaverse Seems Poised to Spawn a New Economy, Says Activate CEO → link
Start Regulating The Metaverse Now, Researchers Tell French Leaders → link
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Into The Metaverse covers companies, technologies and trends that are bringing this promise to life. Yonatan Raz-Fridman “Yon” (founder & CEO of Supersocial) interviews the brilliant minds building for, and investing in, the Metaverse.