#15 Herman Narula: Are We Ready For the Metaverse?

If the idea of Mark Zuckerberg crafting the next stage of our digital world sounds ominous, then you’re not alone. Big tech has wielded unearthly powers, often at the cost of disrupting our democracies. Now with the promise of this new digital world, the metaverse, on our doorstep, it is clear we need new ethical actors in this space to lead to take charge. My next guest on the 52 Insights podcast is Herman Narula, the CEO of the British unicorn startup Improbable is one of those, an earnest 34-year-old CEO who wants to change our perception of the metaverse for all of us. His company, Improbable, has been quietly building the piping of the metaverse for several years. Leading a global company of 1000 people, Narula has enormous plans for this space, including the vision of bringing millions of people into one space at any one time at the cost of enormous processing powers. After graduating from Cambridge as a computer scientist in the 2010s, his principled vision of the metaverse took shape after surrounding himself with influential mentors and early colleagues. He has now become one the leading figureheads of this first metaverse quake – a space that also includes the CEOs of Meta, Nvidia, Niantic and Roblox. In his debut book Virtual Society which has just been released, he shares with us a unique vision, a tech kaleidoscope full of otherworldly visions that he says will make our lives not only more comfortable but enriching in every way, however, with so much scepticism out there, we need to take a step back and ask some uncomfortable questions about this new realm. Who will own what? How will it affect our social lives? How will it change our behaviour? And most importantly, will it further disrupt the fabric of society? If you're even slightly interested in the intersection between politics, technology and the future of our species, then this chat is for you. Please note: I'm also running a giveaway for this episode; I have two copies of Herman Narula's book Virtual Society to give away. If you want one, please send me a direct message with your name and one line explaining why you think the metaverse will be good or bad for humankind. Virtual Society by Herman Narula is out now on Penguin Random House Photograph by HANNAH MCKAY / REUTERS via Alamy Stock Photo.