Neal Stephenson is the writer who coined the term "metaverse" 30 years ago in his novel “Snow Crash.”
In an email interview a few short hours after CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s presentation yesterday announcing Facebook would rename itself as Meta, Stephenson opened up about seeing his idea begin to come to life. (Questions edited for brevity.)
How do you feel about a storyline that you wrote in "Snow Crash" now turning into our potential global future?
It’s flattering when readers take the work seriously enough to put their own time and money into bringing similar ideas to fruition. After all the buildup in the last few weeks, the Meta announcement has a ripping-off-the-bandaid feeling.
Facebook is loosening a controversial rule about how users log into its VR headsets.
Why it matters: A mid-2020 mandate that Oculus VR users enter a Facebook login to operate the device infuriated some longtime Oculus users who wanted nothing to do with the controversial social network.
A few years ago, Google started offering a non-college certificate program to help teach basic IT skills to future workers. Now, the tech giant is working to make sure more people — including community college students — have access to the curriculum.
Why it matters: The labor market has a big skills mismatch, with companies saying they can't find enough qualified applicants, while plenty of job seekers struggle to find meaningful and lucrative work.
Mark Zuckerberg painted an expansive view of the metaverse on Thursday, but the "embodied Internet" he envisions is still years off, while the concerns about the company's present are both real and urgent.
Why it matters: Zuckerberg insists that his company can both chip away at its current problems and build toward its future vision. Critics, meanwhile, argue Facebook is trying to turn the page without shouldering responsibility for trouble it has already created.
