Bill Gates predicts our work meetings will move to metaverse in 2-3 years

Already implemented in my org. We have a platform that monitors overall work "productivity" by running monitors and AI on keystrokes, emails/IMs, JIRA/Confluent entries, pull requests, webcam, CRM entries etc., as well as Teams and other virtual meetings.
That's a horrific work environment, implemented to literally create jobs for management. As a developer, I'm relieved my team and I do not have to be kept tabs on.
 
That's a horrific work environment, implemented to literally create jobs for management. As a developer, I'm relieved my team and I do not have to be kept tabs on.
If your org has >5k employees, it's relatively assured you are being tracked like this in some respect. Again, it's normally very hush-hush, housed in your SecArch and/or Compliance groups.
 
LMAO I didn't hire a guy because he turned his camera on during the interview. Pretty much made my mind up immediately and then he started making weird faces when we asked him questions. Seriously folks don't turn that shit on unless you're asked/told to do so.
I bought a laptop without a camera just so I can say I can't show my face when in meetings, not that I do a lot of them.
 
I'd support draconian regulation in this regard, that resulted in any company even remotely trying to collect and or monetize data being fined out of existence.
No kidding. And "engagement". You know what this means? "We know the meetings are BS and mostly a waste of time except to make sure you know we're watching you, and we can't STAND you not paying attention, so we're going to engage in eye tracking to make sure to maximize the amount of your time we're taking up."
 
This meta bs sounds awful, most meetings are a complete waste of time I've been to meetings where every bozo introduces themselves, their accomplishments, waste twenty minutes talking about nonsense and here I am telling myself. "Hey fuckers when you're done stroking each other's ego get to the fucking point so I can get back to work"

I stop attending most meetings due to the amount of nonsense that goes on, just tell me what the issue is, assign a team to it, get back in a week with the results, that's it! fuck the fuck off!
 
Last edited:
This metaverse stuff sounds like an MMO. You have a virtual character in a virtual world. Take FFXIV for example. You can buy cool looking gear, a house, decorate it, etc. What scares me is that companies like Facebook (I know, not really Facebook, but you get the point) are going to have full control over these virtual worlds. It's going to be filled with adds and monetized up the wazoo. Do or say something they don't like and you get the boot. It's not going to be a fun place to hang out, but a place to spend lots off money and feed addictions.
 
Last edited:
Already implemented in my org. We have a platform that monitors overall work "productivity" by running monitors and AI on keystrokes, emails/IMs, JIRA/Confluent entries, pull requests, webcam, CRM entries etc., as well as Teams and other virtual meetings. Managers get alerted if the model throws a flag for one of their reports. They've apparently used it to catch out employees who were running bots to fake activity while working remotely, and are discussing integrating into performance evaluations. Many places have this sort of platform now, it's kept hush-hush for the most part (much like the email surveillance tools of the past).
This is far worse than the dystopias that Phillip K Dick ever imagined. The whole thing is pointless and just stressing everyone out.

If I'm doing a job, give me the design documents, give me a deadline. I either completed the assignment, to the specifications, on time, or I did not. Why does it matter if I did the whole thing in 1 hour, if it works perfectly?
 
This metaverse stuff sounds like an MMO. You have a virtual character in a virtual world. Take FFXIV for example. You can buy cool looking gear, a house, decorate it, etc. What scares me is that companies like Facebook (I know, not really Facebook, but you get the point) are going to have full control over these virtual worlds. It's going to be filled with adds and monetized up the wazoo. Do or say something they don't like and you get the boot. It's not going to be a fun place to hang out, but a place to spend lots off money and feed addictions.
The real original idea of the Metaverse from the early 90's is great. But it would have to be more like Second Life. People want to be furries, or anime girls, or change their gender, become a monster, have sex with a tree. Not like Facebook where you get banned for posting an image of Renaissance art cause it might have shown a nipple.
 
Last edited:
This metaverse stuff sounds like an MMO. You have a virtual character in a virtual world. Take FFXIV for example. You can buy cool looking gear, a house, decorate it, etc. What scares me is that companies like Facebook (I know, not really Facebook, but you get the point) are going to have full control over these virtual worlds. It's going to be filled with adds and monetized up the wazoo. Do or say something they don't like and you get the boot. It's not going to be a fun place to hang out, but a place to spend lots off money and feed addictions.

Gen Z will definitely be spending a lot of time in the metaverse and probably making a lot of money, to boot.
 
This is about three weeks old at this point, but I just came across it, and I figured I'd share in case anyone else missed it.

View attachment 428766

If this happens, I swear I'll quit.

I'd rather be unemployed and homeless, living under a bridge than ever work in this environment.

The most I want to see in my online meetings is someone else's screen share. Be it a Powerpoint, a Spreadsheet or a Word document, I don't care. I don't even want webcams. I don't need to ever see your stupid face. Lets focus on the work at hand, your screen share.

The rest of this bullshit can kindly sod off, permanently.

View attachment 428768

Why does the world insist on just becoming dumber and dumber as time goes on?

I say it's time we burn it all down!

View attachment 428767
So in the rare productive meetings that I have, I take a lot of notes. I will also brainstorm a solution by exploring ideas on my PC while the discussion is going on, so I can share them. How am I supposed to do that with a screen strapped to my face? I couldn't care less about how cute your Mii is. My relationship with my coworkers only goes as far as getting the job done.
 
This is far worse than the dystopias that Phillip K Dick ever imagined. The whole thing is pointless and just stressing everyone out.

If I'm doing a job, give me the design documents, give me a deadline. I either completed the assignment, to the specifications, on time, or I did not. Why does it matter if I did the whole thing in 1 hour, if it works perfectly?
Because they want to know it only takes a developer 1 hour to complete an assignment, so when another developer takes 3 hours they can manage them out. Also, they want to evaluate empty seat positions that can be eliminated (much easier doing this automated monitoring than having a human SME do the analysis).
 
If your org has >5k employees, it's relatively assured you are being tracked like this in some respect. Again, it's normally very hush-hush, housed in your SecArch and/or Compliance groups.
You really don't open your browsers locally any more, they're opened in VMs elsewhere and funneled to your desktop , so while it is "running" locally, it really isn't .


Most of the crazy tracking stuff is inevitably there, at least for my company, and we're a fairly large 9k+ employee 10+billion tech company, isn't really used for much of anything, but all that data is suredly there if wanted.
 
This metaverse stuff sounds like an MMO. You have a virtual character in a virtual world. Take FFXIV for example. You can buy cool looking gear, a house, decorate it, etc. What scares me is that companies like Facebook (I know, not really Facebook, but you get the point) are going to have full control over these virtual worlds. It's going to be filled with adds and monetized up the wazoo. Do or say something they don't like and you get the boot. It's not going to be a fun place to hang out, but a place to spend lots off money and feed addictions.
You basically just described Second Life to the proverbial T.
 
If I'm doing a job, give me the design documents, give me a deadline. I either completed the assignment, to the specifications, on time, or I did not. Why does it matter if I did the whole thing in 1 hour, if it works perfectly?
Because they want you working for the next 7 hours, too. Lots of stupid companies pay you based on hours, not on work. Very annoying.
 
I mean, I used to browse hentai on my phone with the company wifi. I know they track everything, but honestly I was doing a great job so they didn't fire me for that.
 
You really don't open your browsers locally any more, they're opened in VMs elsewhere and funneled to your desktop , so while it is "running" locally, it really isn't .


Most of the crazy tracking stuff is inevitably there, at least for my company, and we're a fairly large 9k+ employee 10+billion tech company, isn't really used for much of anything, but all that data is suredly there if wanted.
I think I'd almost literally rather live in a Cyberpunk dystopia.
 
My office would send out a top 10 "data users" list every 3 months to try and shame those who just Youtubed/Netflixed all day. Funny thing is I was in the top 3 and still the most productive.
 
Yeah, I've worked at some creative startups where I would say at any given time, 80% of the people were watching YouTube. But we still got our job done.
 
I think I'd almost literally rather live in a Cyberpunk dystopia.
cy·ber·punk
noun
a genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology.

dys·to·pi·a
noun
an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.


So what is missing that you are waiting for? :p
I am being cheeky of course
 
I dislike people not having cameras on in meetings, though I understand it is not always practical. I can't read someone's body language if they have their camera off, and that will tell you more about a person than anything else will.

If someone did an interview with me and wouldn't turn on the camera I would dismiss them immediately.
 
It wasn't that long ago when people thought that dressing up in formalwear made you more productive. Tons of experts claimed that that virtual meetings with Teams would never possibly replace "real" face-to-face meetings. Now companies run their business internationally as though they were in the same building. ...and their employees are in their pajamas. Things evolve. Whenever VR setups become more convenient, I can see this being a thing.
 
Looks more like some hipster's interpretation of what cyberpunk is.
A hipster wouldn't be found dead in those cloths. More like a 16 year-old flat-earther who just discovered Rage Against the Machine.
 
I dislike people not having cameras on in meetings, though I understand it is not always practical. I can't read someone's body language if they have their camera off, and that will tell you more about a person than anything else will.

If someone did an interview with me and wouldn't turn on the camera I would dismiss them immediately.
Yup, I make hire/no-hire decisions often where I work. If you come into the interview day (which for us is just a paired programming exercise) and won't turn your camera on, welp, see ya.

It wasn't that long ago when people thought that dressing up in formalwear made you more productive. Tons of experts claimed that that virtual meetings with Teams would never possibly replace "real" face-to-face meetings. Now companies run their business internationally as though they were in the same building. ...and their employees are in their pajamas. Things evolve. Whenever VR setups become more convenient, I can see this being a thing.
Heh. On my team during standup, some of us are sitting there in PJs and with morning coffee/tea/whatever. Really doesn't matter, we're not particular on how people dress or look, just execution of their jobs.
 
Yup, I make hire/no-hire decisions often where I work. If you come into the interview day (which for us is just a paired programming exercise) and won't turn your camera on, welp, see ya.


Heh. On my team during standup, some of us are sitting there in PJs and with morning coffee/tea/whatever. Really doesn't matter, we're not particular on how people dress or look, just execution of their jobs.
We did an experiment last year and had a few of our Kanban and Scrum teams cut their ceremonies by 2/3 e.g. standups only twice a week, no sprint planning (condensed in refinement). Didn't work -- they nearly self-imploded. A few of the engineers were bored because they didn't have direction and went off on side projects, others were listless because they lacked direction and/or constantly chasing down Product Owners, and worse, others were developing stuff that had to be completely redone -- not due to their deficiency, but because of misunderstood requirements. These were previously super high-performing teams, and the stats were super clear cut.

The right amount of well-led team and person to person meetings is essential. Doesn't have to be in person (although it helps for idea generation/whiteboarding), you don't need to have your camera on (although it's useful for some meetings), and hell no does it need to be in the "Metaverse" (I want to puke everytime I read/hear that word), but they are needed to keep folks performing. Finding the right balance is key.

And yeah, we dress however the hell we want -- a huge improvement from how it used to be.
 
I dislike people not having cameras on in meetings, though I understand it is not always practical. I can't read someone's body language if they have their camera off, and that will tell you more about a person than anything else will.

If someone did an interview with me and wouldn't turn on the camera I would dismiss them immediately.
Yeah, we can't have people comfortable, they must feel intimidated and under a microscope all the time!
Why don't you pay attention to what they are actually saying instead of trying to read body language?
Unless someone wants to show something directly on the camera I don't need to see their melons all the time.

I had a colleague who would drill candidates just to see them squirm. Is that why you want them on camera? Unless you run a modelling agency you don't need to see them to decide if they can do the job. And outright dismissal for not shoving their face in a camera? Maybe if they refuse when you ask that might be a red flag, but not otherwise.
 
The Metaverse is happening, whether us Gen Xers like it or not. So, find a way to make money from it, instead.

Honestly, I don't give a rats ass whether or not it exists. If other people like stupid things, the more power to them, let them enjoy them.

I personally want nothing to do with it though, and I fear that in time it will be forced on me by its inclusion in standard business tools. I wish I were 20 years older so I could just retire before all of this nonsense hits.

I can see it now, sitting in a performance review meeting in trouble because I am a year overdue in creating my "Mii" for Teams Metaverse meetings and still not having my headset hooked up, and permanently keep tape over my laptops camera and refusing to use cameras in meetings.

This shit makes me want to stab people.
 
Yeah, we can't have people comfortable, they must feel intimidated and under a microscope all the time!
Why don't you pay attention to what they are actually saying instead of trying to read body language?
Unless someone wants to show something directly on the camera I don't need to see their melons all the time.

I had a colleague who would drill candidates just to see them squirm. Is that why you want them on camera? Unless you run a modelling agency you don't need to see them to decide if they can do the job. And outright dismissal for not shoving their face in a camera? Maybe if they refuse when you ask that might be a red flag, but not otherwise.

There is a lot of projection in this post, and maybe your colleague traumatized you.

If you are not comfortable being seen, then YOU have problems, and frankly that is a HUGE red flag for any job that isn't socially isolated. I happen to need people that are confident enough to not be rattled by something as simple as showing their face.

As for what people are saying, you clearly do not work anywhere near the sales side of any industry, because sales people will say anything to make a sale and body language is far more important in those conversations than what the person is saying, though it is 100% possible to both listen to what someone is saying and observe their behavior.

Yes, I ask, and yes, if I am interviewing you lets say, and I say 'hey could you turn your camera on' and you refuse, yep we are done.

I also happen to work with a lot of legal and para-legal professions, in some fairly tense situations (million+ dollars on the line) and yes, I want people to use their cameras, it keeps people honest, it also keeps people more civil and helps when you have a room full of people trying to talk. You know all those handy visual cues that someone is done talking, or that someone else is about to speak, super flipping helpful. Hell this applies to any and all video conferences where it isn't just one talking head dictating for an hour, if there is a conversation to be had between multiple people, I expect you to have your camera on.

By the way, I also have my camera on, so feel free to observe me and put me under your microscope of wannabe intimidation.

And yes, I realize it isn't always practical so there is wiggle room.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, we can't have people comfortable, they must feel intimidated and under a microscope all the time!
Why don't you pay attention to what they are actually saying instead of trying to read body language?
Unless someone wants to show something directly on the camera I don't need to see their melons all the time.

I had a colleague who would drill candidates just to see them squirm. Is that why you want them on camera? Unless you run a modelling agency you don't need to see them to decide if they can do the job. And outright dismissal for not shoving their face in a camera? Maybe if they refuse when you ask that might be a red flag, but not otherwise.

Why does it have to be such an extreme stance that you make up? At my job no one is "under a microscope". Just expected to be on camera when in meetings. For as long as there's been jobs, people see your face and body in meetings - WFH isn't really any different. If you have something to hide, then sure, don't turn your camera on. But don't make it out to be more than it is.
 
There is a lot of projection in this post, and maybe your colleague traumatized you.

If you are not comfortable being seen, then YOU have problems, and frankly that is a HUGE red flag for any job that isn't socially isolated. I happen to need people that are confident enough to not be rattled by something as simple as showing their face.

As for what people are saying, you clearly do not work anywhere near the sales side of any industry, because sales people will say anything to make a sale and body language is far more important in those conversations than what the person is saying, though it is 100% possible to both listen to what someone is saying and observe their behavior.

Yes, I ask, and yes, if I am interviewing you lets say, and I say 'hey could you turn your camera on' and you refuse, yep we are done.

I also happen to work with a lot of legal and para-legal professions, in some fairly tense situations (million+ dollars on the line) and yes, I want people to use their cameras, it keeps people honest, it also keeps people more civil and helps when you have a room full of people trying to talk. You know all those handy visual cues that someone is done talking, or that someone else is about to speak, super fucking helpful.

By the way, I also have my camera on, so feel free to observe me and put me under your microscope of wannabe intimidation.
Not to mention something that I personally know happened. Someone was interviewing for a remote dev job. Like our company, the hiring company's interview is basically paired programming for half a day. The person refused to turn their camera on. Through it all, they ended up getting hired. Within about 2 weeks of starting, some things started to not add up at all. Turns out, the person paid someone else to do the interview for them so they would land the job.
 
Back
Top