Facebook creating 10,000 jobs in EU to help develop ‘metaverse’
Washington, Oct 17 (EFE).- Facebook Sunday said it would create 10,000 jobs to form a team in the next five years in Europe that would work on a “metaverse,” which involves building a digital universe, where multiple people can meet without being there physically.
“We are announcing a plan to create 10,000 new high-skilled jobs within the European Union (EU) over the next five years. This investment is a vote of confidence in the strength of the European tech industry and the potential of European tech talent,” Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg and Vice President of Products Javier Olivan said in a joint statement.
“Europe is hugely important to Facebook. From the thousands of employees in the EU to the millions of businesses using our apps and tools every day, Europe is a big part of our success,” they said.
In July, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that he would form a team to develop the “metaverse,” a term that describes a digital universe for multiple people to meet and interact in a virtual and three-dimensional space.
Facebook has recognized that it cannot build that space alone, so it has announced a $50 million investment to collaborate with other companies and academics to help determine how that space can be built responsibly.
“No one company will own and operate the metaverse. Like the internet, its key feature will be its openness and interoperability. Bringing this to life will take collaboration and cooperation across companies, developers, creators and policymakers,” the statement said.
“For Facebook, it will also require continued investment in product and tech talent, as well as growth across the business.”
The social network estimates that many of the products that will form the “metaverse” will not be fully available for 10 or 15 years, and for that, it needs “highly specialized engineers” as one of the “most pressing priorities.”
“We look forward to working with governments across the EU to find the right people and the right markets to take this forward, as part of an upcoming recruitment drive across the region.”
The statement said the EU had several advantages “that make it a great place for tech companies to invest.”
It said Europe housed “a large consumer market, first class universities and, crucially, top-quality talent.”
The tech giant said European companies were at the cutting edge of several fields.
It highlighted the German biotech helping to develop the first-ever mRNA vaccine or the coalition of European neo-banks leading the future of finance.
“Spain is seeing record levels of investment into startups solving everything from online grocery delivery to neuroelectronics, while Sweden is on its way to becoming the first cashless society by 2023.”
In August, Zuckerberg said in an interview that he had thought during his student days about creating an immersive system in which people could feel as if they were together, playing and exploring. EFE
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