Alright, so a couple days ago—wait, was it two days? Three?—I finally got to meet the legend himself, Philip Rosedale. Yeah, that guy. He’s back as CTO at Linden Lab, which basically means he’s back at the helm of Second Life. Pretty sure we all know about that, right? Anyway, here’s me fangirling over visiting their HQ.
So, if I’m being honest, it was kind of surreal. I mean, Philip is this mix of being super approachable yet kind of like this idea factory just pumping out inspiration. Like, I walked out and thought “Whoa, should’ve brought a notebook,” but then again, I’d never be able to jot everything down. Brains like his, man, they always leave you in awe and scrambling to keep up.
We chatted for a little while—felt like five minutes but was probably ten—so I thought, “Hey, why not do a quick Q&A?” Totally spontaneous, I swear. We covered everything from mixed reality to AI. He did say something that stuck: apparently, the metaverse tech isn’t ready for prime time. So, if you’re making one, aim it at the crazies and innovators, not the mainstream. Does that explain VRChat’s success versus, say, Horizon Worlds? Could be.
By the way, there’s a video link somewhere here. If you watch it, maybe you’ll catch my excitement radiating through the screen. I’d love to do a longer chat someday. Fingers crossed, right?
INTERVIEW
Tony: Okay, hey everyone. Sitting here with Philip Rosedale—yeah, the man himself.
Philip: Hi there. Nice to meet ya.
Tony: So, here I am at the Second Life HQ. This is awesome because, honestly, it’s my first visit. Jumping right in, people don’t say “metaverse” that much anymore. Did it, like, scare people off? What’s your take? Is social VR doomed, or are we just overreacting?
Philip: Nah, it’s definitely not over. Tons of folks still use virtual setups daily—Second Life, VRChat—you name it. Just that it’s not mainstream yet, you know? It will be. Just takes time. I mean, stuff like headsets aren’t cutting it right now. Not real enough. Needs improvement—resolution, comfort, you know what I’m saying.
Tony: Oh, definitely. Creators are tied up, hands down. Speaking of which, for us mortals—not the Google or Meta empires—how do we change the game in VR? Like, what’s in our power?
Philip: Innovation. That’s it. The wild, out-there kind. Take Second Life, all sorts of outlandish experiments. It works. Mainstream things? Business meetings in VR? Not convincing. But keep backing imaginative uses, and things start happening. World’s getting a bit scary and boring, some might say. Virtual worlds bring diversity—different ideas, y’know?
Tony: Makes sense. Something else I’m curious about: mixed reality. What’s the social future there? I’ve talked a lot about this stuff—camera access and all that.
Philip: Biggest hurdle is the gear—hide your eyes and it’s a no-go. Spooky, right? Headsets need evolution. They’re trying, I’ll give them that. And we need that social agreement; I’m talking like, what do you share with me and vice versa? Big privacy issues there. Devs are glossing over it. Important stuff.
Tony: Right on. And just this one last thing—kind of dear to me. AI friends, a good idea? You’ve spent all this time connecting real folks. Is AI the next step?
Philip: Tricky turf. AI replacing humans? Dangerous. They might help us be better pals, but mostly, businesses will spin AI companions to replace real ones. Ethically, we’ve got decisions to make there.
Tony: Serious stuff. Anyway, one more—promise! You’re this fountain of innovation. Any last words to inspire our readers?
Philip: Sure, think avatars. Use AI to make them behave more like us. We’ve got potential there, trust me. Faces, expressions—get them right, and virtual worlds could be amazing. AI’s a key here.
Tony: Really fascinating. Thanks for the chat, Philip. Appreciate it a ton!
Philip: Anytime. It’s been a pleasure.
And that, folks, was a whirlwind. Can’t wait for a round two!
