Nu Vibez and Roleplay Guide Magazine - October 2014 | Page 71

inside linden labs sitting with EBBE By Lacy Muircastle As you’ll recall, in a recent issue we published the beginnings of this interview that we called “I See Pixel People.” It scratched the surface of the interview that follows. Here at Nu Vibez, we keep a very close eye on what’s going on in this wonderful pixelated world in which we live and feel when there are answers to be had, take it to the top of the food chain! As most of you are aware, Linden Lab is working on a new virtual world platform which has caused a bit of a storm in a teacup. To which my IT buff son said to me, “Mom, it’s called innovation, don’t you know…” Well, we interviewed Linden Lab’s new CEO, Ebbe Altberg with some very pointed questions to find out just what is what. NVM: What attracted you to Linden Lab? EBBE: In college I studied both computer science and art, and Second Life appeals to me as a fantastic mixture of technology and creativity. I’ve been close to Second Life and Linden Lab for a number of years. I first tried Second Life when it was still in beta, my son later became a very active user of SL (and the teen grid), and I met Philip Rosedale early on through a good friend of mine, who happens to be on Linden Lab’s board of directors. When the board approached me about joining Linden Lab, the opportunity was too exciting to pass up. Not only does Linden Lab’s work fit well with my interests, but the company’s been successful where no one else has and created the most successful virtual world ever. That, combined with the financial strength of the company, put us in a really unique position to continue to lead the virtual world’s space. NVM: What makes your job hard? EBBE: Complexity! Building, improving, and supporting a true virtual world is incredibly complex. The number of things we need to do, NuVibez Magazine - October 2014 71