Niantic is mapping the world and warns about the future of augmented reality

John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, began his Augmented World Expo speech talking about the metaverse, and how it conjures thoughts of Neal Stephenson, William Gibson, and The Matrix.

“In those fictional versions of the future, the world has become such a mess that people have to escape it into some sort of virtual reality where people live, work, and play,” says Hanke. “I would ask all of you: is that the future you imagine? Is that what you want for you? For your children? That’s not the future we believe will happen at Niantic.”