We caught up with metaverse expert James Coop to talk about why – and when – it’s going to change everything.

• Bill Gates has said that AI will be more revolutionary than the metaverse and Web3

• But Meta’s chief product officer, Chris Cox, says the metaverse will become as essential as the smartphone

• James Coop, founder, disruptor, and metaverse aficionado, says not only is there room for both to change the world, but they’re intrinsically linked

This story first appeared in our subscriber-only weekly Blueprint newsletter. Receive exclusive interviews and analyses like this, direct to your inbox every Sunday, by subscribing to IE+.

While interacting with a Reddit user last week, Bill Gates said that the metaverse and Web3 are revolutionary, but not to the same extent as AI.