03-03-2020, 06:19 PM
Linden Lab has probably spent about $50-60 million to develop and launch Sansar.
We know this is likely because back in 2016, the company had likely already spent an estimated $20 million on Sansar
over 2.5 years in payroll alone. Add four more years of payroll, not to mention marketing and operating expenses,
and that range is a reasonably educated guess (if it's not even larger).
I've been thinking about this ever since Linden Lab announced last week that Sansar would no be a company-sponsored project.
How was so much spent for so little return?
There's a number of factors, but I believe it ultimately came down to two interlocking mistakes:
Linden Lab insiders, even those who have left the company, fairly consistently praise Ebbe as an inspiring leader.
Meeting in person him last year, I was impressed by his passion for virtual worlds.
But even the best leaders must work with the limited options that are handed to them.
In this particular case, it's likely that Sansar was already in development under the leadership of the advisory board and Ebbe's predecessor,
Rod Humble. (Who was in turn working with limited options laid down by the board and previous CEOs.)
SOURCE: NEW WORLD NOTES
We know this is likely because back in 2016, the company had likely already spent an estimated $20 million on Sansar
over 2.5 years in payroll alone. Add four more years of payroll, not to mention marketing and operating expenses,
and that range is a reasonably educated guess (if it's not even larger).
I've been thinking about this ever since Linden Lab announced last week that Sansar would no be a company-sponsored project.
How was so much spent for so little return?
There's a number of factors, but I believe it ultimately came down to two interlocking mistakes:
- A flawed assumption, fueled by Goldman Sachs and other respected entities, that virtual reality was on the fast track to becoming massive.
- A corporate culture that was unable or unwilling to learn from Second Life's early mistakes.
Linden Lab insiders, even those who have left the company, fairly consistently praise Ebbe as an inspiring leader.
Meeting in person him last year, I was impressed by his passion for virtual worlds.
But even the best leaders must work with the limited options that are handed to them.
In this particular case, it's likely that Sansar was already in development under the leadership of the advisory board and Ebbe's predecessor,
Rod Humble. (Who was in turn working with limited options laid down by the board and previous CEOs.)
SOURCE: NEW WORLD NOTES
