While augmented reality has many useful applications (engineering maintenance being an extremely obvious and high-value example) the metaverse seems merely an extension of TikTok or SuperMario in quasi-3D and therefore not compelling until the user interface is less clunky. Ordinary people love to waste their lives on mindless distractions and no doubt a "killer app" will eventually emerge to lure millions into squandering hours and dollars on some shoot-em-up but until then, it's an environment that has little appeal relative to the overall cost (device cost plus the unpleasant experience of having to wear a heavy VR headset).

If Zuckerberg were more of a business person and less of a geek, Meta wouldn't be wasting so much time and effort on what is clearly a premature investment.