Block and tackle

“We’re moving from a mobile and cloud era to an era of ubiquitous computing and ambient intelligence, an era that will experience more digitisation over the next 10 years than the last 40. We need that next level of real-time hyperconnectivity between businesses and between consumers and businesses, where data and intelligence flow freely to tackle the challenges of supply and demand.” — Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft

“I don’t know if I necessarily buy into this metaverse stuff, although people talk to me a lot about it. You know, when I grew up it was like, ‘Don’t sit too close to the TV, it’s gonna ruin your eyesight,’ and now TV is like literally right here (puts his hand very close to his face), I’m like, umm, what? Is that good for you? I don’t see someone strapping a friggin’ screen to their face all day.” — Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla

“The next platform will be even more immersive—an embodied Internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it. We call this the metaverse, and it will touch every product we build. The defining quality of the metaverse will be a feeling of presence—like you are right there with another person or in another place. Feeling truly present with another person is the ultimate dream of social technology. That is why we are focused on building this.” — Mark Zuckerberg, founder, chairman and CEO of Meta

“With digital risks already being high, especially for vulnerable groups, safety risks could be more prevalent in the metaverse. There are numerous ways such risks could be exacerbated in the metaverse. Unwanted contact could become more intrusive. The rise of virtual currencies is another challenge. Finding ways to incentivise better behaviours and reward positive interactions may need to become a bigger part of a safer digital future.” — Cathy Li and Farah Lalani, World Economic Forum