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Facebook plans to hire 10,000 people in Europe in effort to built its ‘metaverse’

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Facebook plans to hire 10,000 people in the European Union over the next five years to help build its metaverse, the social media giant has announced. In September, it committed $50m (£36.4m) towards building the online world, with the likes of Roblox and Epic Games having an early stake in it.

Facebook describes the metaverse as a “set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren’t in the same physical space as you.” They state: “You will be able to hang out with friends, work, play, learn, shop, create and more.” In theory, it will allow people to do practically anything in this virtual space – whether this is work, play, attend events or simply socialise with friends.

“Interacting online can become much closer to the experience of interacting in person,” Facebook said. “We’re 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.”

“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, as Facebook is invested in the success of European companies and the wider economy,” they said. “This is an exciting time for European tech. The EU has a number of advantages that make it a great place for tech companies to invest – a large consumer market, first-class universities and, crucially, top-quality talent.”

They said that they will be working with experts in government, industry and academia, as “its success depends on building robust interoperability across services, so different companies’ experiences can work together”. Facebook said the metaverse will “encourage competition” and “maintain a thriving digital economy” [Sky News].

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: WIRED.COM

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