In an end-of-year blog post, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates reflected on his “most unusual and difficult year,” but remained optimistic about our “more digitized future.”
Gates predicts that the future of work will be altered by the growing popularity of the metaverse, especially as companies like Microsoft and Meta shift their focus on building out this digital universe.
The pandemic already altered the workplace by providing workers with more flexibility than ever, according to Gates. These changes will only accelerate the adoption of metaverse platforms.
“Those changes will only intensify in the years to come,” wrote Gates. “Within the next two or three years, I predict most virtual meetings will move from 2D camera image grids…to the metaverse, a 3D space with digital avatars.”
The two-dimensional platform Gates refers to is what most video conferencing tools, such as Zoom, currently look like.
However, the metaverse would create a three-dimensional experience so workers can interact with one another in a more immersive way.
Gates explained that Microsoft is currently working on incorporating 3D avatars and other metaverse-related features to its Teams application.
“We’re approaching a threshold where the technology begins to truly replicate the experience of being together in the office,” wrote Gates.
