Dead or Alive survey results + All the Web3 news you missed this week
Dead or Alive survey results + All the Web3 news you missed this week
Last week I polled readers of this newsletter on if they thought various web3 concepts were “dead” or “alive” - survey results are in:
While the findings aren't entirely surprising, they do reflect a larger trend in the industry. Negative press abounds, with the "death of the metaverse" and NFT market crashes dominating headlines. Meanwhile, DAOs are rarely mentioned. Will this trend continue? To find out, we'll be running this survey again in a few months. But for now, it's clear that the world of web3 is in a state of flux.
General
Perspectives from a new generation of crypto/Web3 builders - Interviews with college students focused on industry (Part 1) (The Axial Studio)
This week I interviewed 7 college students building in the crypto/web3 ecosystem. I wanted to get their perspectives on the industry, why they got involved and the challenges they see ahead. Treat this interview as a focus group to get a better perspective on the youth building in this space.
NFTs
7 Real-World NFT Use Cases That Should Be on Your Radar (Blockworks)
NFTs have considerably advanced from simply being considered hype trading cards, and have gone on to capture mass attention as the concept has evolved into more solid use cases. Use cases profiled in this article include Real Estate NFTs, Gaming NFTs, Ukraine’s war funds, Preserving cultural heritage, Experiences and Credentials.
Trump's digital trading card NFTs soared in value to nearly $1,700 USD following his indictment. Trump's NFTs had an average sale of 0.5737 ETH, or roughly $1,000 — rising 1.45% in the last 24 hours. The highest sale soared to 0.9298 ETH, which equates to nearly $1,700
Metaverse
The Metaverse Is Completely Falling Apart (Futurism)
Both Disney and Microsoft are shutting down their metaverse operations. Between mass industry job cuts and a trance-like shift toward generative AI, it's a strange time for the tech world. And as often happens during widespread changes and reorganizations, some efforts get lost in translation — one of those efforts being, it seems, the huge rush toward the metaverse
Building a Great Customer Experience in the Metaverse (Harvard Business Review)
The metaverse presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvent the consumer experience, by incorporating greater elements of interactivity, personalization, and adventure in your company’s interactions with customers. The metaverse can help put consumers in the driver’s seat in at least three major ways: 1) by creating new ways to discover and explore products; 2) by helping to fuse physical and virtual product experiences in more meaningful ways; and 3) by reestablishing connections between people and brands through “digital humans” — AI-powered bots that can interact with users in virtual environments. Being able to parlay insights from the virtual to the physical world, and vice versa, will become key to understanding consumer behavior and experiences for marketers, product designers, store planners, and CX professionals across industries.
Augmented Reality
Apple’s Tim Cook says AR and VR are for ‘connection’ and ‘communication’ (The Verge)
At some point in the near future, Apple’s going to launch a mixed reality headset. That seems all but certain. The exact when and what and how much? All very up in the air. But one thing hasn’t changed: Tim Cook’s vision for AR and VR. For almost a decade, Apple’s CEO has been banging the drum that AR is more important than VR and that AR is fundamentally about bringing people together. And he’s still at it.
Crypto
Web3 Should Be Built on Bitcoin (CoinDesk)
The Bitcoin community must eliminate its anti-innovation attitude to fulfill the first cryptocurrency's potential, or risk losing talent and capital to developer-friendly chains like Ethereum.
DeFi
DeFi Divided on French Regulator’s Bid to Rein In Sector (Blockworks)
French regulators say they’re primarily concerned with protecting investors and consumers, particularly when it comes to DeFi newcomers. Industry reactions are mixed.
About Me
Hi, I’m Andrew Chang - I created the Web3 Roundup to share what I’m learning in this space. I’ve spent my career at the forefront of the technology industry in areas such as crypto/blockchain (Former COO @ Paxos, co-founding partner of Liberty City Ventures), video and adtech. I learn by meeting with founders, investors and other thought leaders and approach Web3 with the same enthusiasm – and skepticism – I had about crypto/blockchain technologies 10 years ago.
You can connect with me on LinkedIn