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