Tim Cook, CEO of the American multinational Apple, has expressed doubts about the power of the metaverse as a key to shaping the future of interactions. When a senior technology executive like Tim maintains this stance, more and more industry players begin to show how worrisome the prospects of the metaverse are.
Data from ExpressVPN on the state of the metaverse highlights the concerns of employees at small and large companies about the metaverse. According to the survey, 63 percent of employees are concerned that their employer is collecting their data in the metaverse.
In addition to Tim Cook’s concerns about the metaverse, employees’ top concern is that their company could monitor them in real time, with 51 percent of those surveyed having this fear, while 50 percent are concerned about real-time screen monitoring. While the metaverse has been touted as a tool for more immersive work experiences, employees disagree on one general point, as 40% of those surveyed fear their employees will track their biometric data.
With the metaverse still in its infancy, it is difficult for stakeholders to be able to address these concerns. While the survey is limited to the United States and is not a general representation of how potential metavers users around the world feel about this new technology, it does show that the fears are already wrong and that innovators need to develop solutions to address these concerns.
Many have touted the metaverse as the next major frontier in social communications. Technology is set to invade the way people live, work and socialize in general.
The anticipation of the metaverse has not subsided despite the concerns expressed by those surveyed. While 57% of employees look forward to working in the metaverse, 77% of employers expressed interest in immersive work environments.
Leadership in the metaverse: Generation and tech giants.
While there is no clear distinction on what constitutes the metaverse, several technology companies have invested heavily in this technology.
Major companies investing in this technology include Meta, Microsoft, and Nvidia, among others.
More and more companies are defining their metaverse strategies, and overall, employees surveyed indicated the companies they trust the most to lead the metaverse advance. According to the survey, 61 percent of respondents trust Microsoft to lead the metaverse future, compared to 58 percent and 57 percent for Google and Apple, respectively.
Meta is the company that respondents trust the least, with only 36% of workers saying they trust it. In total, the survey found that Generation Z and Millennials are more enthusiastic about embracing the metaverse, with 53% and 48% supporting the transition.