#30 – The Metaverse Part 2 – Final Episode – Straight talk on the Key Players and what they are up to, and Implications for Entrepreneurs and Investors

In this, the final episode on the Metaverse - or is the Metaverses - we discuss what the Key Players are doing in the space, as well as the so-whats for entrepreneurs and investors. As you, our listeners are accustomed to, only straight talk and “straight shooting” in this duology on the Metaverse. Navigation: Intro (01:34) Section 1: Key players (02:02) Section 2: So-whats for entrepreneurs and investors (22:36) Conclusion (30:35) Our co-hosts: Bertrand Schmitt, Entrepreneur in Residence at Red River West, co-founder of App Annie / Data.ai, business angel, advisor to startups and VC funds, @bschmitt Nuno Goncalves Pedro, Investor, Managing Partner, Founder at Chamaeleon, @ngpedro Our show: Tech DECIPHERED brings you the Entrepreneur and Investor views on Big Tech, VC and Start-up news, opinion pieces and research. We decipher their meaning, and add inside knowledge and context. Being nerds, we also discuss the latest gadgets and pop culture news Subscribe To Our Podcast Intro (01:34) Bertrand Welcome to episode thirty, our second episode on the metaverse. In episode 29, we talk about our definition of the metaverse, we talk about the key enablers for the metaverse. This episode will have two section. One, first section around the key players. And we will have a section about what it means. The so what for entrepreneurs and VCs. Nuno, should we go into the key players? Section 1: Key Players (02:02) Nuno And a very good segue to what the key players are doing around the metaverse or the metaverses and all these different technologies. And maybe sticking to Google again, not because we dislike them particular. I think we've shown them a lot of fondness in the past. But we're starting with another failure, Google Glass, which I already talked about earlier. I love those glasses. They were so cool. There was so much promise in it and then nothing. It was just like, nothing's gonna happen. Sorry guys. Bertrand For me, it was also an example of something that was hyped way too much, way too early, and totally out of context. When you have something for total geek that are only going to touch the most crazy early adopters of all, why do you start to brand it? I remember they were showing off celebrities at modeling shows. It was like crazy. It was as if it was going to be mainstream next month. It's like, wow, a lesson of how to set expectations wrong, as if they did everything they could to make sure it was really going to fail. Because the expectations are so disconnected from the reality of how bad it was. Bad maybe is a strong word. Nuno It wasn't that bad for what it was. I think it's more the point of what you're making, yeah. Bertrand As we see today, it was at least 10 years too early. And you know there is something in history when people tell me, "Oh yeah, we're just 10 years too early." I'm like, "Oh yeah, that's not much, ten years, I guess." I don't like it when people make it wrong by 10 years. There are so many things you could do instead, especially in our world of tech, where in some ways I feel it could be predictable. Google Glass, total fiasco, because it was 10 years too early. But I said 10 or maybe 20. Nuno Maybe 20. Bertrand The jury still out for this until we have something really working. What was about this other company that was promising crazy shit and ultimately went nearly bankrupt? Nuno Magic leap, yeah. By the way, I don't know anyone there. I'm telling our friends just as a way to not throw them under the bus. Yeah, Magic Leap. Bertrand But Magic Leap is a fantastic company. I was from very far smelling a rat. I will call it a rat when you burn billions of dollars and you don't deliver at all anything of value, at least value connected to how much money was invested in the business. I wish them the best in their new version, just focused on enterprise. But there was so much bullshit. And I'm frustrated because some of these companies are so much actively ...