Bill Gates says the metaverse will host most of your office meetings within ‘two or three years’

In an end-of-year post on Gates' personal blog, the Microsoft co-founder included a prediction about the future of the labor market, and how it could be changed by the rise of the Metaverse, the virtual worlds built by technology companies like Meta (formerly Facebook) and Microsoft, where users will be able to work, play and connect.

Gates notes that the covid-19 pandemic has already "revolutionized" workplaces, with more companies offering flexibility to employees who want to work remotely. "These changes will only intensify in the years to come," and he says remote work will only draw more people into the metaverse.

"In the next two or three years, I anticipate that most virtual meetings will move into 3D space with digital avatars and the idea is that you will eventually use your avatar to meet with people in a virtual space that replicates the feeling of being in a real room with them" but right now, users will have to wear virtual reality headsets or goggles to do so.

Of course, Gates notes that it will take time and willingness from users and employers for the Metaverse to become a reality. First of all, technology companies like Meta, and even gaming platforms like Roblox and Microsoft's Minecraft itself, are still developing the virtual worlds that will form the metaverse.