The billionaire business magnate shared his thoughts on the metaverse in a year-in-review post published on his personal website.
“Within the next two or three years, I predict most virtual meetings will move from 2D camera image grids—which I call the Hollywood Squares model, although I know that probably dates me—to the metaverse, a 3D space with digital avatars,” Gates wrote.
Gates says he believes the adoption of metaverse meetings will be gradual due to many people currently lacking the tools, such as VR headsets, to fully immerse themselves in the experience. However, he expressed his optimism for advances made with 3D avatars and spatial audio to help users feel more connected within virtual realities.
"There’s still some work to do, but we’re approaching a threshold where the technology begins to truly replicate the experience of being together in the office," Gates said.
Facebook’s late-October announcement that it would be changing its name to Meta as it shifts its focus toward virtual reality has resulted in a huge buzz around the metaverse in recent weeks. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes key components of the metaverse will become mainstream within the next five to ten years.
