'We Are Building for Metaverse': Meta Vice President Nick Clegg Reveals Days after Facebook’s Rebranding

Clegg said it was important for Meta to enter the space before the technology explodes.

By Radhika Parashar | Updated: 3 November 2021 17:36 IST

'We Are Building for Metaverse': Meta Vice President Nick Clegg Reveals Days after Facebook’s Rebranding

Facebook announced its rebranding to Meta on November 1

Highlights

Meta, formerly Facebook, is gearing up for the future of Internet
Company plans on developing the metaverse
Microsoft is also exploring the space

On November 1, social networking mammoth Facebook announced a fresh rebranding under a new name, Meta. Speaking about the goals of Meta, its Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg revealed that the company is building itself for the metaverse. Powered by augmented reality (AR), the metaverse can be described as the future of the Internet that could support a functional virtual universe. Clegg made the statements during an interview with Financial Times at the ongoing Web Summit event in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 2.

“The metaverse isn't something we're building; so much as it's something we're building for,” Clegg said, reiterating the vision shared by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg earlier in October.

The metaverse isn't something we're building, so much as it's something we're building for. And we won't be doing it on our own. We'll work with experts outside the company to make sure it's designed for safety and privacy and inclusion from the start. https://t.co/eW2qm9HSjY
— Nick Clegg (@nickclegg) October 28, 2021

According to Zuckerberg, in the metaverse future, “you will be able to teleport instantly as a hologram to be at the office without a commute, at a concert with friends, or in your parents' living room to catch up. This will open up more opportunity no matter where you live. You'll be able to spend more time on what matters to you, cut down time in traffic, and reduce your carbon footprint.”

While the concept of the metaverse is still catching up among tech enthusiasts, Clegg said it was essential for Meta to rush into the space.

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Cryptocurrencies are expected to be the primary mode of payment in this futuristic version of the Internet.

Bloomberg Intelligence reportedly expects the market opportunity for the metaverse to reach $800 billion (roughly Rs. 59,58,719 crore) by 2024.

More tech giants are getting into the groove of the metaverse. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, for instance, has also spoken in favour of the metaverse concept.

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“The metaverse is not just transforming how we see the world, it is also changing how all of us actively participate in it,” Nadella said.

The metaverse is here, and it's not only transforming how we see the world but how we participate in it – from the factory floor to the meeting room. Take a look. pic.twitter.com/h5tsdYMXRD
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 2, 2021

Nvidia Omniverse and Roblox Metaverse are other tech majors which are exploring the metaverse space.

How's Nokia brand licensee trying to compete against Realme and Xiaomi in India? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Further reading: Facebook, Meta, Metaverse, Nick Clegg, Mark Zuckerberg

Radhika Parashar

Email Radhika

Radhika Parashar is a senior correspondent for Gadgets 360. She has been reporting on tech and telecom for the last three years now and will be focussing on writing about all things crypto. Besides this, she is a major sitcom nerd and often replies in Chandler Bing and Michael Scott references. For tips or queries you could reach out to her at RadhikaP@ndtv.com. More