What are the latest developments?

Tim Cook, CEO of the American multinational Apple, raised doubts about the power of the metaverse as a key to shaping the future of interactions. When a senior tech executive like Tim maintains this position, more and more industry players begin to show how concerning the outlook for the metaverse is.

Data from ExpressVPN on the state of the metaverse highlights employees’ concerns about the metaverse at large and small companies. According to the survey, 63% of employees fear that their employer collects their data in the metaverse.

In addition to Tim Cook’s concerns about the metaverse, the main concern of employees is that their company can monitor them in real time. 51% of respondents have this fear, while 50% worry about real-time screen monitoring. While the metaverse has been touted as a tool for enabling more immersive work experiences, employees disagree on one general point, as 40% of respondents are concerned about their employees tracking their biometrics.

As the metaverse is still in its infancy, it is difficult for stakeholders to be able to address these concerns. Although the survey is limited to the United States and is not a general representation of the opinion of potential metaverse users around the world on this new technology, it shows that the fears are already wrong and that innovators must 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 expectation of the metaverse has not subsided despite concerns expressed by those interviewed. While 57% of employees look forward to working in the metaverse, 77% of employers expressed interest in immersive work environments.

Metaverse Leadership: Generation and Tech Giants

Although there is no clear distinction on what constitutes the metaverse, several technology companies have invested heavily in this technology.

Some of the top companies investing in this technology include MetaMicrosoft and Nvidia, among others.

More companies are defining their metaverse strategies, and overall, surveyed employees indicated the companies they trust most to lead the metaverse advancement. According to the survey, 61% of respondents trust Microsoft to lead the future of the metaverse, compared to 58% and 57% for Google and Apple respectively.

Meta is the company respondents trust the least, with only 36% of workers saying they trust it. In total, the survey showed that Gen Z and Millennials are more enthusiastic about embracing the metaverse, with 53% and 48% supporting the transition.