The Giants and the Metaverse
--
You have probably heard about the Metaverse by now.
But who are and will be the giants of the Metaverse?
The word Metaverse is made up of the prefix “meta” (meaning beyond) and the stem “verse” (a back-formation from “universe”).
The term is typically used to describe the concept of a future iteration of the Internet, made up of persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces linked into a perceived virtual universe.
First of all, if you want to learn more about Metaverse, this course will help you a lot: https://alphainvestor.gumroad.com/l/Metaverse
Microsoft
Having successfully adapted from enterprise to consumer, PC to mobile, and offline to online, all while maintaining a dominant role in the “work” economy, it’s hard to envision Microsoft won’t be a primary driver in the virtualized future of labor and information processing.
More than any other company, Facebook has the most to lose from the Metaverse as it will build an even larger and more capable social graph and represent both a new computing platform and a new engagement platform.
Amazon
Amazon is interesting in a few regards. Most obviously, it will always want to be the primary place in which we buy ‘stuff.’ Whether that’s bought inside a game engine, a virtual world or web browser is irrelevant (it already sells inside Twitch).
The Internet is a mine of data and the Metaverse will have both more data and perhaps greater returns on it than today’s web. And no one monetizes this data better at a global scale than Google.
Apple
Apple building an open platform for creation, where everyone can access the full range of user data and device APIs is antithetical to Apple’s ethos and business strategy.
Disney
If the Metaverse requires a broad interplay of assets, experiences, and common APIs, Unity will have a foundational role.
Valve (Steam)
If Epic has a viable path to the Metaverse, Valve must too. Valve’s Steam is orders larger than the Epic…
