The a16z Show
Neal Stephenson on The Future of the Metaverse
The a16z Show discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future – especially as ‘software eats the world’. It features industry experts, business leaders, and other interesting thinkers and voices from around the world. This show is produced by Andreessen Horowitz (aka “a16z”), a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Multiple episodes are released every week; visit a16z.com for more details and to sign up for our newsletters and other content as well!
Show Notes
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When Neal Stephenson coined “the metaverse” three decades ago, his book Snow Crash was found on the shelves of “science fiction”. While the book remains in that category, many of its concepts are now found in reality…
Fast forward to 2022, where numerous companies are now building toward their version of the metaverse, including Neal himself – working on Lamina1 – a blockchain company oriented toward creators.
While the present metaverses don’t perfectly mimic that from Stephenson’s early imagination, we get the unique opportunity to discuss the various design decisions that he’s making, but also the intersection between the metaverse and gaming, the involvement that AR/VR might play, the evolving role of IP, how artificial intelligence fits in, what he’s building and why, and where he gets all of his ideas from.
Timestamps:
Introduction
Tech's highest impact position
What is the metaverse?
Interoperability
Incentive alignment
Immersion requirements
VR engineering challenges
Skeuomorphism
Commercial VR/AR applications
AI and gaming
The value chain
Right of refusal
Good and bad tech
Fighting “free”
Building Lamina1
Neal’s design designs
Inspiration for Snow Crash
Looking ahead from 2022
Science fiction writing
Carbon removal
Resources:
Neal’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nealstephenson
Lamina1’s website: https://www.lamina1.com/
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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
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