Mark Zuckerberg defies haters of the Metaverse, reveals his vision for a digital world where you can make eye contact with others

The company previously known as Facebook was founded in 2004. Last year, it changed its name to Meta and announced its vision for the digital world. 

The company’s 100,000 employees are now focused on creating new ways to work, play, and live in the Metaverse. 

Future of the Metaverse

Zuckerberg recently gave an interview on “The Tim Ferriss Show” podcast. He spoke extensively about the Metaverse, and his vision for what it will be like.

He believes the Metaverse will take the world into a more robust economy, where people can do things that are intellectually or physically interesting to them. Communities will pop up, leading to monetization and self-sustaining ecosystems.

Zuckerberg says he drew inspiration from fiction books to create AR and VR strategy, and comments that humans should have the ability to be in more than one place at the same time.

“There are all these reasons why it is very valuable for people to be able to be present in another place, no matter what the situation is,” he told Ferris, adding that he often goes into VR from his home in Hawaii.

“You don’t have to be in some kind of dystopian situation to be present with another person that you care about, or an opportunity that is better at another place,” Zuckerberg said on the podcast.

He seemed dismissive of criticism that Meta and other companies are leaning too heavily into the digital world.

“If people fully feel like they understand what we are as a company and what we’re doing, then I’m not pushing it hard enough,” he said. “I kind of want to push us into the zone of let’s kind of constantly be doing something that can be doubted because if we’re not, then what are we doing?”

In the future, he also people accessing multiple applications through one platform, which is what he is building in the Metaverse. For instance, Instagram and Facebook updates could appear simultaneously, without having to go through different apps.

Future of VR and the Metaverse

Zuckerberg is focusing on creating a more realistic Metaverse, from hand movements, to being able to make eye contact digitally.

One of VR’s biggest achievements is how accessible it has become. While you once needed to be plugged into a computer, now a VR set can be powered with a microchip.  

However, one of the biggest issues still remains. When it comes to the overall experience, everyone reacts differently to VR. Many VR users have complained about experiencing motion sickness, a problem the Meta team is currently trying to solve.

The CEO also predicts the creation of worlds and spaces will bring social, economic, and governance innovations.

Zuckerberg speculated the Metaverse would give rise to distributed work.

“People’s opportunities are usually anchored to where they are located,” he said, but new technologies will allow people to “be able to be present in places where they physically can’t be.”

This will unlock endless opportunities and freedom for both workers and employers, he says.

Meta’s company values

Meta has rolled out internal company values that include employees using the products that they are working on. This gives the company a faster feedback loop, as employees are able to check what is working and what is not directly. 

One of the most important values is to move as quickly as possible. This value has evolved to “move fast” which encourages employees to build and learn faster than anyone else.

To achieve this transition, the company constantly analyzes to see which processes are working and which ones are not.

Meta is also focused on long-term impact. On one hand, the company focuses on building things quickly, and on the other hand, it focuses on the product and the long term. 

Recently, the company also added “build awesome things” as one of its values. The Metaverse is an example of something that Zuckerberg finds inspiring and people will find useful in the long run.

He adds that at Meta, people have the option of either meeting in person or virtually. Instead of spending hours on conference calls, you can spend time feeling more present through augmented reality or virtual reality. 

Comfort through surfing

In the podcast, Zuckerberg shared how taking care of yourself and your teams can make you a better leader. 

He also attributes being intellectual, having energy, and training himself to be comfortable with the uncomfortable as the three qualities that have helped him be a successful leader. 

Although finding comfort in being uncomfortable doesn’t sound easy to achieve, he has found certain activities like surfing allow him to take his mind off things. 

The CEO also acknowledged that he has a lot of energy, and says it is important to learn how to manage his energy as a leader in order to not burn out his team. 

Family time

Zuckerberg is also a family man and aims to do bedtime with his kids every night. 

He and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have two daughters.