Work exchange slowly panning out (Interview to Philip Rosedale)
By Quentin Hardy / New York Times News Service
Published: November 09. 2011 4:00AM PST

“Second Life,” in its heyday, held similar promise. While it became a haven for sexual chatter, it has over the years attracted a now-defunct Reuters news bureau as well as emporiums of several companies like American Apparel and Starwood Hotels. Cisco Systems also held meetings there. “Second Life” still exists, but is much quieter now, offering virtual currency, meetings and digital real estate, among other services.

While he is still chairman of Linden Lab, the company that created “Second Life,” Rosedale talks about that venture in the past tense.

“The problem with creating an immersive 3-D experience is that it is just too involved, and so it’s hard to get people to engage,” he said. “Smart people in rural areas, the handicapped, people looking for companionship, they love it. But you have to be highly motivated to get on and learn to use it.”

Rosedale, who raised about $1 million for Coffee and Power from investors including Jeff Bezos, Catamount Ventures and Greylock Partners, sees breaking work into smaller tasks, both in software and in the real world, as a trend that will continue to gain traction.

“I would rather hire a kid in Brazil who is hungry for work for a project than hire a Stanford graduate,” he said.