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Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

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Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#291
post #72

I think Sheryl is going out near the top here. She literally rode this generation of SV wave from the beginning. From a Larry Summers’ protege to one of the most influential executives on the planet. Despite all the negatives associated with Facebook, I think she was the best thing to happen to FB and Mark Zuckerberg.

> She literally rode this generation of SV wave from the beginning.

> she was the best thing to happen to FB and Mark Zuckerberg.

Or -hear me out- the person most influential in current SV business is not the best thing to happen to a (very young, impressionable) founder trying to grow his business. Pre-Sheryl ads were businesses having fb pages and advertising when your friend bought a product (very social-based). Post-Sheryl ads tracked you everywhere and learned about you.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#292

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…

> The field is in its "90's internet phase" right now.

Second Life was launched in 2003

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#293

"Sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime. [...] In the critical moments of my life, in the highest highs and in the depths of true lows, I have never had to turn to Mark, because he was already there." If this is an accurate reflection of her experience, I don't expect it's a side of Mark Zuckerberg most of us imagine exists.

Having spent a couple of years at Facebook, I was honestly surprised by how different Zuckerberg is vs the outside perception. Now, I wasn't part of his inner circle or whatever, but in his weekly Q&As he came off very thoughtful, well-rounded, human, at times opinionated, and willing to engage on any topic. He fought to keep the weekly sessions going despite the leaks, something Google gave up on as I understand. Zu…

I hate Facebook more than most people, but I have to admit that I can believe this.

I noticed that the news always seems to go out of its way to find inhuman-looking badly-tinted photos of him making strange expressions. Lately he's become something of a scapegoat IMO, probably because an introverted billionaire with some creepy tendencies/background makes such an easy target.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference is that you play with your whole body, not just your fingers. You can duck for cover, or run, or kick and punch someone, or construct an item with your hands. It’s immersive and it could take gaming to a whole other level. This is what AR and games are all about. Not necessarily what Meta wants to build.

I've never been convinced that physical immersion will ever be as compelling to the human brain as mental immersion through good story-telling. Having my real-life body and physical attributes thrust directly into a story/game just seems like the most non-immersive thing possible to me unless the game is entirely designed around moving the body, like DDR or Beat Saber or whatever.

This is what the makers of text adventures said about graphic adventures, just in a different dimensional context. And we all know how that turned out... :-/

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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…

From what I can tell, metaverse is just an attempt to make MMOs for "normal" people. So instead of a few million people spending 6+ hours per day in your "game", you have a few billion people spending 6+ hours per day in your "game".

So, Second Life?

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#296
post #257

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 don't think this is even broadly true. We just locked everyone in their houses for the pandemic and people hated it. They want to get out and do stuff and see the world. Not sit on a couch with a screen strapped to their face.

Not everyone. Everyone I know loved it.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#297
post #221
post #202

I think Sheryl Sandberg might go down as the Thomas Midgley Jr[0] of the 21st century; the single person most responsible for internet pollution and toxicity. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr .

Zuckerberg and Google have far more share of responsibility than Sandberg, even though Sandberg is certainly also a morally bankrupt person who enthusiastically contributed to the poor state of modern society.

Except Sheryl is responsible ads at both FB and Google.

Maybe it’s not just one company. But the industry. Or maybe it’s her ;)

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I can tell from the material Meta has released, they have an incredibly ambitious vision for the metaverse. Essentially, I believe they want to create glasses that you wear, that allow you to see other people in your space, wherever they are. So you could have a conversation with three friends in your living room, as if they were there, while they could be on different continents, making physical location i…

One thing I don't get is why there is a such high regard of visual input. I mean, we can speak to our friends since the telephone age, and we can see them on screen too since maybe the 90s. Is there a huge demand to actually see them IN THE SAME ROOM ? I really don't think so. But maybe future generations have different ideas. I think VR can make a lot of difference in training (e.g. medical training) but it's not co…

A lot of people find asynchronous and text-based communication to be unpleasant. This maybe isn’t the most common sentiment on a tech news discussion forum, but probably describes much of the population. I think the internet’s potential to help people socialize is really hobbled by the text form factor of social media, chat, and discussion forums. Video and voice calls are richer, but they aren’t good a good way to meet people.

I’ve found that VRChat makes for a more pleasant, natural, deeper experience than phone calls or video chat. For me, it really replicates the experience of hanging out with people in real life.

Part of it is that it has the thing where you stand next to the people you are talking to and you can move around and talk to someone else when the conversation ebbs and flows. You can go to smaller spaces where you know everyone, or bigger places with friends of friends.

This mitigates the problem with video or phone calls where you have to sort of mutually agree with the other party that you want to talk and when you are done talking. Instead, you can more naturally flow between different conversations. You can go to a crowd and meet new people, you can go on adventure with your close friend, or go hang out at your regular haunt.

There are a lot of problems with the service, though. One of the big ones is that the onboarding experience is shitty for new players. If you don’t already have friends who play, you’ll just end up with 14 year olds screaming obscenities at you in a public world.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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…

The difference is that you play with your whole body, not just your fingers. You can duck for cover, or run, or kick and punch someone, or construct an item with your hands. It’s immersive and it could take gaming to a whole other level. This is what AR and games are all about. Not necessarily what Meta wants to build.

So basically like "Ready Player One" where you need a full motion capture suit, 2-D treadmill, and handheld controls. There's probably a niche market of hardcore gamers like the people who build full cockpits for flight simulators. But this complicated stuff is never going to penetrate the mainstream mass market.

Re: Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO

#300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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…

The difference is that you play with your whole body, not just your fingers. You can duck for cover, or run, or kick and punch someone, or construct an item with your hands. It’s immersive and it could take gaming to a whole other level. This is what AR and games are all about. Not necessarily what Meta wants to build.

How's that going to work in my living room where there's an ottoman, a coffee table, the dog's running around, etc. Or do I need to build a new room just for AR/VR stuff? I mean, yeah you can do some interesting stuff like having virtual Jenga on your coffee table, or whatever, but thinking in terms of HalfLife 4, or even sitting around chatting with 3 other friends who are in different locations, it sounds like it would start to become impossible just because of the space I'd be in. (Or expensive if I have to have a new space that I keep clear all the time.)
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