Into the Metaverse

This week Yon welcomes Dan Sturman into the metaverse. Dan is a world class technologist, having spent time leading software and engineering teams and departments at IBM, Google, and Cloudera, before taking on his current role as CTO of Roblox nearly four years ago. 

Coming off of all of the news and announcements made at last weekend’s Roblox Developers Conference 2023 (RDC23) it’s an incredible time to get to chat with Dan about all things Roblox and metaverse.

During their conversation Yon and Dan discuss the importance of Roblox remaining a turnkey platform, how to enable efficiency in the creator marketplace, the new Roblox Connect feature and what that experience will be like, evolving a platform to match a maturing audience, getting to one billion daily active users, and much more.

Chapters:

• Defining the Metaverse (01:15)

• What Attracted Dan to the Challenge of Building Roblox (04:32)

• Differentiating Roblox as a Turnkey Platform (08:15)

• Creation and the Building of Business On Top of Roblox (13:12)

• Enabling Efficiency in the Creator Marketplace (19:10)

• The Importance of Communication and Roblox Connect (22:28)

• Expansion onto MetaQuest and Playstation (30:10)

• Evolving the Games and Experiences for a Maturing Audience (33:28)

• What Needs to be True for Roblox to Get to a Billion DAU (37:35)

• Supporting Different Needs for Different Creator Types to Monetize (42:08)

• Blockchain and the Future of Interoperability (45:54)

• What is Dan Most Excited About for Next Twelve Months (48:22)

This week Yon welcomes Sam Peurifoy into the metaverse. Sam brings a wealth of knowledge and an investment lens to the podcast, as he is a partner and the head of interactive at Hivemind Capital, a Web3 and blockchain technology focused investment firm.

During their conversation Yon and Sam discuss if the fictionalized nightmare of corporate overlords running the metaverse is realistic, talk about what actually took place during the first wave of Web3, break down how open source software can work inside of a corporate model, and much more.

Chapters:

• Defining the Metaverse (01:00)

• Avoiding the Corporate Overlord Scenarios of Fiction (03:10)

• Relationship Between Simplified Use and Platform Control (07:55)

• What Really Happened in the First Wave of Web3 (10:50)

• How Open Source Software Inside of a Corporate Model Can Work (16:25)

• How Does Hivemind Approach the Web3 Investment Landscape (19:15)

• Sector Sam is Most Excited About in the Next Year (23:00)

This week Yon welcomes Tian Lim into the metaverse. Tian currently serves as the VP of Product at Roblox, with a specific focus on creators. Prior to Roblox, Tian’s career path featured high level roles at companies like Google, Hulu, Sony, Microsoft, and more, giving him a deep knowledge of where the world of gaming and virtual communities has been, where it stands today, and where it may be headed in the future.

During their conversation Yon and Tian discuss the democratization of creation tools, why creators will drive the future of Roblox, how to remain an egalitarian platform at scale, opportunities for brands within the Roblox ecosystem, and much more.

Chapters:

• Defining the Metaverse (01:10)

• The Potential in Roblox that Attracted Tian to Work There (02:50)

• Democratizing the Tools of Creation (07:30)

• Evolution of Creator Enablement (11:55)

• Power of Creation and the Ability to Earn on Roblox (15:20)

• Remaining an Egalitarian Platform at Scale (20:50)

• Visibility and Transparency Into Roblox’s Tech Roadmap (23:26)

• Opportunities for Brands and Their Place in the Roblox Ecosystem (25:47)

• Role of AI, Interoperability, and Blockchain (31:25)

• Ecosystem vs Platform and Building for the Future (37:53)

This week Yon welcomes John Linden into the metaverse. Currently the CEO of Mythical Games, John has formerly been President at Seismic Games overseeing such games as Marvel’s Strike Force, and Studio Head at Activision overseeing multiple iterations of the Call of Duty franchise. With this extensive background in the gaming world, John is one of the best people to speak with about what has and has not worked in this industry and where things may be headed.

During their conversation Yon and John discuss the role of blockchain in enabling a true user owned internet, how to bring interoperability into gaming and the metaverse, empowering players to create their own content, the financial aspects of the industry past and present, the futures of Mythical Games’ different gaming properties, and much more.

Chapters:

• How Does John Define the Metaverse (01:15)

• Role of Blockchain Enabling a True User Owned Internet (04:25)

• How Interoperability Can Work (06:45)

• Building the Next Generation of Gaming (12:50)

• Empowering the Player to Create Content (19:25)

• Monetization and Building a Digital Supply Chain (22:45)

• Mythos Foundation and Building a Marketplace Currency (29:50)

• The Financialization of Web3 (35:40)

• What’s Next for Blankos, NFL Rivals, and Nitro Nation (42:45)

• Potential Order of Magnitude Progress in the Next Year (47:54)

In this episode Yon welcomes Aiden Slavin into the metaverse. Aiden leads the Metaverse Governance team at the World Economic Forum, where he and all of the metaverse related teams at WEF have been hard at work researching and writing a five part series of reports on building a responsible metaverse that have just begun to be released.   

During their conversation Yon and Aiden delve into data privacy in the metaverse, the need for metaverse literacy, how different generations will adopt and interact with the metaverse, the role AI will play in the expansion of the metaverse, and much more.

Chapters:

• What is the Metaverse to Aiden (01:10)
• Data Privacy in the Metaverse (03:05)
• Privacy and Safety by Design (07:25)
• The Need for Metaverse Literacy (08:50)
• Adoption and Use by Different Generations of Users (13:08)
• Role AI Will Play in Expansion and Popularization of the Metaverse (16:50)
• Relationship Between Thought Leaders, Regulators, Business Leaders (21:30)
• Translating “Don’t Be Evil” Into Software Development Principle (23:25)
• One Thing Aiden is Most Excited for in Next 12 Months (25:40)

In this episode Yon welcomes Connie Kuang into the metaverse. Connie leads the Metaverse & Generative AI Value Creation team at the World Economic Forum, where she and her team have been hard at work researching and writing a five part series of reports on building a responsible metaverse that have just begun to be released.   

During their conversation Yon and Connie discuss what value creation in the metaverse looks like, key challenges in bridging technological gaps, why access to new technologies is paramount, aspects of the World Economic Forum’s upcoming metaverse reports, and much more.

Chapters:

• Introducing Connie (00:20)
• What is the Metaverse (01:15)
• Value Creation in the Metaverse (04:00)
• Key Challenges in Bridging the Technological Gap (06:30)
• Moderating Involvement in the Evolution of the Metaverse (11:40)
• Need for Access and Its Relation to Adoption (17:15)
• Five Dimensions Outlined in Upcoming WEF Metaverse Report (21:20)
• One Key Insight from the Report that has Connie Excited (24:40)
• Being an Extension of the Human Experience Not a Replacement (28:15)

The last few weeks have been incredibly exciting as Yon and the Supersocial team saw the launch of Piñata Smashlings, their collaboration effort with toy company Toikido to build a new brand that combines a gaming experience and community with the physical world of toys, trading cards, and more. 

With this launch happening, it felt like the perfect time for Yon to welcome Darran Garnham, Founder and CEO of Toikido, into the metaverse.

During their conversation Yon and Darran first discuss the overall power of the metaverse in helping you find your people, how industries that serve kids need to adapt to new technologies, and the fundamentals that make Roblox so unique and relevant, before diving into what Piñata Smashlings and the Piñataverse are, how it came about, the depth of story they hope to provide, and much more about this exciting new world. 

Chapters:

• The Power of the Metaverse to Help You Find Your People (01:10)
• Bringing Toys and Characters to the Intersection of Digital and Physical (04:40)
• How Industries that Serve Kids Need to Adapt (08:00)
• Fundamentals that Make Roblox so Relevant and Unique (12:55)
• The Piñata Smashlings Universe and the Depth of Story It Provides (21:30)
• The Launch of Piñata Smashlings and Attempting to Build Generational Relevance (29:15)

This week Yon welcomes Itamar Benedy into the metaverse. Itamar is the co-founder and CEO of Anzu, the world’s most advanced intrinsic in-game ad solution for mobile, PC, console, and the metaverse. 

Anzu’s goal is to put players first and help advertisers reach audiences in a non-disruptive and highly engaging way. As Itamar states, “the metaverse is the digital twin of the physical world,” and he and his company are on the forefront of bringing an ad and marketing experience to the metaverse that matches its physical world counterparts.

During their conversation, Yon and Itamar discuss how to build a positive ad experience within the metaverse, the opportunities the new scale of gaming brings, how advertising can operate and scale differently in an open platform vs a closed platform, and much more.

Chapters:

• Defining the Metaverse and How New Technologies Will Shape It (01:32)

• Building a Positive Ad Experience Within the Metaverse (04:05)

• New Scale Post-Pandemic Brings New Opportunities in Gaming (10:15)

• What Marketers and Brands Think About the Metaverse and Gaming (14:45)

• The Line Between an Ad and a Branded Video Game (19:15)

• How Advertising Can Scale in Open vs Closed Platform Virtual Environments (23:00)

• Why the Next Twelve Months May Be the Tipping Point (28:20)

Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this week’s edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

In this episode, Yon & Priya react to the latest hyperbolic article claiming the metaverse is dead, discuss the opportunity Roblox affords its young developers, reflect on the Niantic layoffs, and much more.

Chapters:

• Reacting to The Nation article, Lessons from the Catastrophic Failure of the Metaverse (01:20)

• The First Generation Leaving a 3D Record of Themselves (05:35)

• Opportunity Roblox Affords to Young Developers (08:00)

• Niantic Layoffs and Why They Can’t Repeat the Pokemon Go Success (11:25)

• Apple Scales Back Units and Ship Date for Vision Pro (14:45)

This week Yon welcomes Jonathan Pan into the metaverse. Jonathan is the Head of Product at Store No. 8, the incubation arm of Walmart. Between his current role and his prior stops at companies such as Riot Games, Amazon, and Meta, Jonathan has built a long track record of working in and on emerging technologies where he can let his passion for building content and teams thrive.

During their conversation Yon and Jonathan discuss how emerging technologies will both contribute to and complement the metaverse, break down key insights from Jonathan’s article on the practical metaverse, lay out the advantages Roblox’s dedicated developer community affords them, and much more.

Chapters:

• Introducing Jonathan Pan (00:25)

• How Jon Defines the Metaverse (01:25)

• How Do Emerging Technologies (AI, Blockchain, Etc) Contribute to and Complement the Metaverse (04:30)

• Key Insights from Jonathan’s Article on the Practical Metaverse (08:30)

• First Time Realizing the Potential of Roblox and Minecraft as Platforms (12:30)

• What Will Still Be True About Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft Three to Five Years From Now (17:45)

• The Advantage of Roblox’s Dedicated Developer Community (22:40)

• One Thing Jonathan is Most Excited For in Next Five Years (29:30)

This week Yon welcomes back to the show former co-host Matthew Kanterman to catch up on everything that is going on within the metaverse today and what has transpired over the past couple of years since they originally launched the podcast. 

Long-time listeners will quickly recognize Matthew as he was here at the inception of the Into the Metaverse Podcast back in 2021 as co-host for the first iteration of the show. Matthew currently serves as the Director of Research for Roundhill Investments where he has continued to expand his knowledge and thoughts around the metaverse, AI, and all emerging technologies.

During their conversation Yon and Matthew compare and contrast Apple and Meta’s approaches to the metaverse, discuss how blockchain technology can be more relevant to common consumers, highlight key events in the industry between when they first started the podcast to now, dissect the role Nvidia and generative AI will play in the metaverse, and much more. 

Chapters:

• Re-Introducing Matthew and Roundhill Investments (00:25)

• Defining the Metaverse Today and In the Future (01:25)

• Differing Approaches in Device, Terminology, and Developer Relations Between Apple and Meta (05:45)

• How Blockchain Can Be Relevant to Common Consumers (17:00)

• Key Events and Indicators That Show Where Metaverse is Headed (22:40)

• Nvidia and the Role of Generative AI (27:05)

• One Key Takeaway from the Episode (34:00)

Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this week’s edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

In this episode, Yon & Priya go in depth on Mark Zuckerberg’s response to the Apple Vision Pro launch, open source vs closed source approaches to building ecosystems, LVMH and Epic Games partnership announcement, and much more.

Chapters:

• Zuckerberg’s Response to the Apple Vision Pro Launch (00:35)

• Meta’s Open Source Approach vs Apple’s Closed Source Approach (03:05)

• New Partnership Between LVMH and Epic Games (06:15)

• Improbable Raises $150m to Establish M² Metaverse Network (09:15)

• The Metaverse is in its Infancy (14:50)

Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

In this episode, Yon & Priya go in depth on the release of Apple’s Vision Pro device, discussing its potential use cases, why Apple is smart to focus on entertainment elements first, the reasons behind calling it a spatial computer instead of a virtual reality device, and much more.

Chapters:

Apple Launch Takes Over The News (00:30)

Use Cases for the Apple Vision Pro (02:25)

Entertainment and Work Elements Smart Strategy for Apple (06:00)

Gaming Partnerships and What They Mean (09:40)

Apple’s Specific Use of Spatial Computer, Not Virtual Reality Product (11:55)

The Future of Spatial Computing (14:40)

I had the absolute pleasure of being joined today by Cathie Wood, the founder, CEO, and CIO of ARK Invest.

Cathie built a decades-long track record of success in the investment world by using thematic strategies focused on innovation before rising to national prominence when she founded her own firm in 2014, ARK Invest, where she and her team focus solely on investing in disruptive innovation while adding new dimensions to research. Through an open research approach, Cathie believes ARK can identify large-scale investment opportunities resulting from technological innovations. 

During our conversation Cathie and I cover in detail the convergence of new technologies and the power and opportunity that convergence provides, how and why kids are the “R&D department” of humanity, digital leisure, the blurring of our physical and digital worlds, where the virtual economy is poised to go, and much more.

Chapters:

Introducing Cathie Wood (00:00)

Apple Launches Mixed Reality Headset (02:50)

What is the Metaverse and What Could it Become (07:20)

What it Means When These Technologies Converge (10:34)

New Educational Paths / Kids are the New R&D Department (18:14)

Technology Creates Brand Synergies Across Generations (25:20)

Digital Leisure and  Blurring the Lines of Physical and Digital (33:39)

Size and Evolution of the Virtual Economy (42:31)

Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

In this episode, Yon & Priya cover the decimation of Metaverse real estate values, the emerging job market in virtual design, why we all need to calm down about AI replacing humans, and much more. 

Chapters:

Episode Intro (00:00)

Metaverse Real Estate Values Plummet (00:45)

Different Motivations Bring Different Consumers (04:00)

Emerging Job Market in Virtual Design (07:00)

The Technological Revolution and Why We Should All Calm Down (10:52)

NVIDIA’s Big Bet on AI Paying Dividends (17:05)

Looking Towards the Week Ahead (20:50)

It’s a very exciting day for Into the Metaverse as Yon is joined by Priya David Clemens to launch a brand new segment of the show called This Week in the Metaverse.

Priya is the host of the Emmy-award winning news discussion program, KQED Newsroom, and a longtime network news anchor and reporter who has most recently begun to focus her journalistic eye on emerging technology.

Every week she will be joining Yon to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse, with the goal as always of helping you better understand what the Metaverse is, how it will impact your life, and what opportunities it may unlock.

In this inaugural episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Yon & Priya cover the imminent release of Apple’s new VR goggles, whether we should be calling the Metaverse by a different name, confront the narrative that the Metaverse is dead, and much more. 

Chapters:

Introducing New Weekly Show with Priya (00:00)

Apple’s New VR Goggles Set for Release (05:00)

Is Apple Bringing Any New Experiences to the Space (10:40)

Why VR and the Metaverse are Different Things (15:40)

Should We Be Calling the Metaverse Something Else (19:45)

Confronting the Narrative that the Metaverse is Dead (23:11)

Technology Developments in China (26:25)

Final Thoughts for the Week (31:05)

Joining me today as we celebrate our 50th episode of Into the Metaverse is Justin Hochberg, founder and CEO of Virtual Brand Group.

Justin is a metaverse brand builder focused on IP and fashion. He has had a multi-national career as a senior executive in technology and entertainment companies, with a proven track record in creating and leveraging content, IP, brands, and industry insights into new revenue streams through emerging technologies and partnerships.

We cover in detail what are the right objectives that brands should pursue when entering next generation social platforms, connecting virtual identity to real life identity, the value of building a persistent presence, the future of decentralized platforms, the need for consumer friendliness to gain mass adoption, and much more. 

Welcome to episode 16 of This Week in the Metaverse, our weekly show in which Yon and a guest co-host provide commentary on three metaverse-related news items.

Welcome to episode 15 of This Week in the Metaverse, a weekly show in which I provide commentary on three news items with fantastic guest co-hosts.