Facebook has been paying well since the start, to be able to poach from the "illegally reduced salary cartel members" (Apple, Google, Adobe, etc), 10-15 years ago.
And maybe some people say no, but they still get hundreds of people applying. There is an entire cottage industry built around preparing for their interviews.
This is the article I was vaguely referring to:
https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-pays-brand-tax-hire...
Since we’re on something of a tangent, it’s interesting to think about what Meta’s idea of the Metaverse actually is. It isn’t the Internet 3.0 or some kind of grand revolutionary vision.
No, it’s actually just Facebook’s only chance to control a hardware platform.
They can’t control smartphones, they can’t control web browsers, they can’t control smart TVs. It’s not feasible for them to start their own phone OS or web browser.
Apple, for example, made privacy policy changes that have cost Facebook $10 billion in lost revenue, and there nothing Facebook can do about it.
Facebook’s only chance is to hope VR is the next big social tool after text (blogs, Facebook), images (instagram), and video (TikTok, YouTube, Reels).
In my opinion, this won’t really work, unless they truly have some revolutionary hardware up their sleeve. VR will probably forever be a niche: as it stands it’s a sweaty motion sickness-inducing experience.
They just don’t have another avenue to explore to try and have a platform where they have full control over data collection. They’re out of options.
I give the idea of the metaverse a very slim chance of convincing potential customers that it’s better than hanging out with friends On Discord to play some “pancake games.”
I got a lot of these opinions from this video, which really changed my perspective on Meta’s vision for their future:
This is not the first time I've heard this at all and each time it is equally relevant. Unless meta gets everyone goggled up fast I think that there will be so much negative stigma nobody will want to be part of it.
Unless the VR experience is flawless, and I mean better than reality, people can't get hooked.
If the hardware lags even a bit, the headaches and dizziness become unbearable. Depth-of-field is another disorienting factor, and field-of-view yet another.
I believe we do not yet have the technology to offer such an experience, let alone cheaply. As such, Facebook is prematurely investing in it.
VR is Meta’s only chance to control a hardware platform. It’s really as simple as that. As long as they don’t control iOS or Android they’re at the mercy of Google and Apple, who have no interest in making life easy for Meta.
For Meta, VR has to work to stave off their decline. But unless they’ve got some revolutionary hardware up their sleeve, they’re working with a sweat and nausea-inducing niche.
It’s basically working for the cigarette company of tech.