Elon Musk and the Metaverse: A Dismissive Glance

In a recent chat with The Babylon Bee, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, made his skepticism about the metaverse and Web 3.0 famously clear. His main critique? He doesn’t envision a future where everyone is strapping on VR headsets like fashion accessories. “I don’t see someone strapping a friggin’ screen to their face all day,” Musk quipped, bringing a dose of his signature candor to the tech discussion.

Virtual Reality vs. Real Reality: The Motion Sickness Factor

Musk’s experience with virtual reality paints a less-than-rosy picture. He candidly shared memories of playing games while battling motion sickness, which he argues is a significant hurdle for wide adoption. It’s not just a minor inconvenience; it raises serious questions about the desire to escape into a whole new (virtual) world. According to him: “In the long term, a sophisticated Neuralink could put you fully into virtual reality. I think we’re far from disappearing into the metaverse; this sounds just kind of buzzwordy.” With his own Neuralink project, one could assume he has a unique perspective on the brain’s capability, or lack thereof, to handle such immersive technologies.

Buzzwords and Marketing: A Disenchantment

Musk’s clear-cut discontent with the overused jargon surrounding these tech fads extends to his thoughts on Web 3.0 itself.