Halo, Yumalundi, Bula vinaka and Welcome to Cultural Fit.
Last month, Thanksgiving was celebrated across the United States. I thought it would be great to start this week’s piece with a poem on giving thanks.
It is not happy people who are thankful.
It is thankful people who are happy.
Unknown
Unfortunately for Meta there seems to be little to be thankful for. The social media giant has seen better times as it comes to terms with the its floundering first steps into the Metaverse. What’s the Metaverse you say? It’s touted to be the next evolution in social interaction where fantasy, sci-fi, and the real world mesh to create a world fueled with your imagination. Here’s a simple rundown of what the Metaverse is.
Like Twitter under Musk’s current leadership Meta has seen a mass exodus (voluntary and forced) of its workforce as the company tries to stem the bleeding from its venture into the metaverse. The blame, it seems, has been placed solely on the shoulders of its founder and leader, Mark Zuckerberg as his apparent lack of a clear vision has led the company down a path they weren’t ready for.
Why is Zuckerberg failing when he has the Meta empire behind him?
Nassim Taleb – essayist and all-round intellect – wrote extensively on a subject in his marvelous book Skin in the Game that I think could explain the Meta situation. In Skin in the Game, Taleb discusses the need for decision-makers to have “skin in the game”, ie. measurable risk when making a major decision. When someone does not have “skin in the game” they reap the rewards when it’s smooth sailings but pass the risks onto others, which in this case happens to be Meta employees. In contrast to this, there are those that have “soul in the game”. These decision-makers have purpose and the drive to achieve those goals – think Yvon Chouinard. Chouinard founded the outdoor clothing and gear company Patagonia with the goal of “designing clothes to last” and has recently made headlines when he gave his company away to fight climate change.
‘Soul in the game’ is usually linked to service of others; you are doing something for the sake of others. ‘Soul in the game’ is another word for having a purpose in life
But why is this important?
In the last edition, we talked about how the demise of Twitter would eradicate long-standing minority communities – pasifika communities included. This, of course, means that these forums would need to find a new home. The metaverse could very well be that hub!
Zuckerberg was right to be optimistic that he and Meta could lead the world into the future. A modern-day Moses guiding the chosen generation out of the wilderness that is the internet and into the fantastical land of milk and honey. Meta has the money, the manpower, and the resources. The ace up its sleeve? The minds behind the Oculus. The leader in virtual reality/augmented reality headsets is the key to open the door to the metaverse and Zuck has it in his pocket. He just doesn’t know what to do with it.
In keeping with the parallelism between Zuckerberg and Moses, the promised land is slowly evaporating in front of his eyes like a desert mirage. Unlike Moses, Zuck seems to be adamant in ensuring that nobody else is able open the metaverse to the world. He seems to be trying his best to kill the future before its possibilities can take root in the minds of the consumer. Hard luck for the average Joe.
Zuckerberg’s failure to open up the metaverse to the everyday consumer does not mean that it is impossible. I believe that there’s someone out there with the drive and vision to do just that! Someone that is willing to have more than “skin in the game”. Someone who will definitely put time, sweat equity, and personally stake their reputation on it. Someone with soul in the game.
A Culture of Giving
Since this was the week of giving thanks I thought I’d share an article I wrote on the Culture of Giving. I shared my thoughts on how our cultures instill the importance of giving and how we should implement these values in our corporate culture. Here is an except:
The concept of giving has been embedded into our Pasifika culture for millennia. Now is the time for us to apply it into our business culture as well.
Recommendations:
1. Nike dotSwoosh will sell NFT shoes starting ‘under $50’
If you’re still wondering about what you’d find in the metaverse then this should be an interesting article for you. Nike is diversifying its products with the introduction of its very own Web3 platform and NFTs in a bid to legitimize virtual apparels. The future, as we’ve discussed, will be in the virtual world of the metaverse and Nike wants to be positioned strategically for when it happens.
2. How AI is going supernova with Michelin stars
Imagine scrolling down your IG feed and you find some #foodporn. Mouth still watering, you get into investigator mode trying to ascertain where you can procure said heavenly fare when you make a stomach wrenching and reality alternating discovery. The food isn’t real!
That’s right! An Artificial Intelligence (AI) program created the images. A 3 Michelin star dish to be precise!
I felt that this would be keeping with the theme I’ve apparently chosen for this week – the future.
3. Specializing doesn’t mean success
This last week I finished Daniel Epstein’s book Range. It was phenomenal. If you have a chance to read the book then do it. You won’t regret it.
Here’s a Ted talk that Epstein gave that summarizes some of the book’s most important points. Consider it a snippet of the treasures you’ll find in Range.
Though this edition was forward-looking I thought it would be great to end it with a reminder that we are our history. We are the culmination of choices made by our ancestors. We are fearless. We are kind. We are fierce. We are inventive.
Epeli Hau’ofa, a Pasifika literary hero whose work I had not actively searched for until recently, worded it more poetically. With his assertions as my farewell, I bid you adieu:
The past is alive in us, so in more than a metaphorical sense the dead are alive – we are our history.” “Just as the sea is an open and ever flowing reality, so should our oceanic identity transcend all forms of insularity, to become one that is openly searching, inventive, and welcoming.
Epeli Hau’ofa
Alfred Tora 
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