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Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

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Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#181

Note that while she linked to Dave's FB profile, she did not link to (her new fiance) Tom's profile. I guess even those at the top of FB value their privacy while they continue to invade ours....?

It'd have been better if she linked to Tom from MySpace profile

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel compelled to say that your second sentence is probably the funniest thing I've ever read on HN. It resonates very strongly with my belief that VR/Metaverse will continue to under deliver. What people want is an escape from reality. "Just like" Ready Player One or anything from a wide choice of science fiction novels. The problem is that these systems require a fundamental disconnect from reality. Not only do w…

You need to check out "Metaverse Twitter". You're missing out on a lot of fascinating developments. The field is in its "90's internet phase" right now. The tech is still immature, but is rapidly growing in capability and ambition. Just like most people in the 90's had no idea how "internet" would be used, I think our ability to conceive of VR/AR/XR/metaverse is similarly myopic. I would give it a 10-15 year timeline…

I had thought that "Meta" was supposed to be a cool-sounding conceptual name, but it seems that folks are taking it literally to mean a very specific reference to a "metaverse" in an actual 3D virtual reality environment.

If that's the real intent, it seems kind of sad.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#183
post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm no Zuckerberg fan, but I imagine being in his inner circle is probably a very good experience. I fundamentally and vehemently disagree with his goals and the effect Facebook has on the world, but (outside of the early years) I haven't heard anything toxic about him as an executive.

That's a surprisingly balanced position. When you say he's not toxic, do you mean that he doesn't yell or act sexist? Or that he's actually an honest, upfront businessperson? Because things like systematically lying about privacy policies, or gaslighting the world about net neutrality / "Free Basics' were neither early in his career nor deserving of any respect.

I mean specifically the way he acts toward people inside his company, especially those at the executive level.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#184
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but the obstruction of physical world signals is basically non-existent. If it were, then we wouldn't have people in chronic pain. The key one, the vestibular system, is overridable non-invasively: Galvanic vestibular stimulation https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_vestibular_stimulati... Vision and sound covered too, though vision can get better with more res and variable focus. Sound can get better with 3d sc…

Proprioception cannot be fooled. No matter what you do to your vestibular system it's not going to realistically feel like you're in a fighter jet or a race car. It can't even make walking on an omnidirectional treadmill feel like real walking. Galvanic vestibular stimulation is not really a good idea, independent of the fact that it literally sends high voltage electricity through your skull.

Walking on a VR treadmill is actually the opposite example of what you are claiming I believe. It exercises your proprioception without giving you the right vestibular response (except on huge military 12x12ft treadmills and stuff that can accommodate decent amounts of real acceleration from locomotion, I'm assuming you mean consumer "slipmill" type setups where you fully run in place).

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#185
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

I feel that you need to actually try out the Quest 2 before you pan it.

The first week I had the Quest I thought it was the most game changing device of my entire life. Especially during the pandemic it was incredible to transport to another world. I was long a nay-sayer on VR but then completely changed my mind, I couldn't shut up to all my friends about how incredible an experience it was...

That wore off less than a month later. Even in a house it takes up too much space to use. Using it too much still gives me a headache. Plus being teleported to another world, while amazing at first, does feel isolating after too much use. I have put orders of magnitude more time into playing switch on my couch than my Oculus (which collects dust in my basement) and I got my switch a few months ago.

The most damning thing though is how little interest there is in VR by the broader gaming community. I never hear anyone on major gaming sites or youtube channels mention VR other than brief, occasional mentions when talking PC performance.

Outside of the tech community nobody I know at all cares about VR in the slightest. The Oculus is a huge step forward, but after having been so excited about it, I'm even more convinced that it will never really take off.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#186
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

I feel compelled to say that your second sentence is probably the funniest thing I've ever read on HN. It resonates very strongly with my belief that VR/Metaverse will continue to under deliver. What people want is an escape from reality. "Just like" Ready Player One or anything from a wide choice of science fiction novels. The problem is that these systems require a fundamental disconnect from reality. Not only do w…

VR only underdelivers when compared to full emergence. You don't need a television when you have a VR headset. I think that Meta's headsets will be the the consoles for the next generation because TV sets are not a given anymore. So a console becomes more expensive because you have to also buy a television.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#187
post #25

I increasingly believe that Facebook’s pivot to Meta will end up going down as one of the biggest misses in the history of business. The metaverse is a real idea yes - but strapping a phone to your face and walking through your coffee table isn’t it. Especially not with a mediocre centralized FB owned “virtual world” where they inflict heavy taxes and content moderation. Facebook has neglected its core businesses for…

Facebook was always doomed for failure, just like every social platform that came before it. The pivot should've happened years ago with a focus on Instagram and content creation (their shot at streaming was at least in the right direction). At this point, Facebook has simply waited entirely too long, and the likelihood of any pivot working for a company of their size is basically nonexistent.

Facebook is going down? I don't think they are. They own Instagram which is generating lots of money and then they own WhatsApp which is not even monetized yet. FB might not exist in a decade but Meta isn't going anywhere.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel compelled to say that your second sentence is probably the funniest thing I've ever read on HN. It resonates very strongly with my belief that VR/Metaverse will continue to under deliver. What people want is an escape from reality. "Just like" Ready Player One or anything from a wide choice of science fiction novels. The problem is that these systems require a fundamental disconnect from reality. Not only do w…

>What people want is an escape from reality. I still don't understand what's the difference between MMOs and Metaverse. Like it's on mobile? That's all? Peak WoW _was_ a social network something Zuck is dreaming about (and that's while you also have to pay a monthly sub). I've read around and some people say that the difference people can _create content_ in Metaverse but... sandbox MMOs are also a thing for a long t…

This is how I've felt since the beginning. Especially lately with all of this NFT -> "virtual land" selling in some cases for millions of dollars. Like... What? Why wouldn't you play a game where virtual land is, get this, free, and provides the exact same value.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#189
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meta reported revenue of $27.9 billion in Q1 2022. They will continue making billions from ads for decades even if the metaverse play goes nowhere. But if you believe that VR/AR is going to eventually go mainstream then Meta is positioned to be a player in that market, even if it’s just a 2nd or 3rd place player that’s potentially billions in additional revenue.

Well the epic stock slide over past few months would tell you investors are highly cautious about the company’s future.

They make $200/year per user in North America, all 250 million of them. Cut that to 1/3 and their value as a company is far lower, but they still make more per user than a subscription service like Netflix. Now, you can say "nobody thought that ARPU was sustainable", but they have a long history of making unbelievable numbers bigger.

Their real mistake was not pushing to own the entire vertical stack, building unassailable moats like Google and Apple. Oculus is that bet, and other companies like Valve are pursuing similar strategies.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel compelled to say that your second sentence is probably the funniest thing I've ever read on HN. It resonates very strongly with my belief that VR/Metaverse will continue to under deliver. What people want is an escape from reality. "Just like" Ready Player One or anything from a wide choice of science fiction novels. The problem is that these systems require a fundamental disconnect from reality. Not only do w…

You need to check out "Metaverse Twitter". You're missing out on a lot of fascinating developments. The field is in its "90's internet phase" right now. The tech is still immature, but is rapidly growing in capability and ambition. Just like most people in the 90's had no idea how "internet" would be used, I think our ability to conceive of VR/AR/XR/metaverse is similarly myopic. I would give it a 10-15 year timeline…

Any Twitter account suggestions?
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