VR Developers Earning Significantly

Shaan Puri and Sam Parr discuss how staying committed to emerging technologies like VR, even when they're not trending, can lead to significant opportunities. They highlight their friend Furkan's approach of maintaining interest in technologies based on their potential rather than current popularity.

• Most people abandon VR technology after initial excitement

  • Both hosts admit their Oculus headsets are collecting dust
  • "Where's your Oculus sitting right now?" "Where's the biggest pile of dust in my room"
  • "I did what everyone did - got it, this is awesome, this is gonna change the world... I don't know where the charger is"

• Staying committed to technologies through unpopular phases can be valuable

  • Their friend Furkan maintains interest in VR despite it not being trendy
  • "He doesn't pay attention when things get hot... he's like 'I pay attention because it's interesting to me'"
  • "I don't care if it's popular or not... I wanna be on this train the whole time"

• Current VR market offers hidden opportunities

  • At a recent VR conference: "Crickets basically" - showing low interest
  • Yet some developers are "printing money" with successful apps
  • "The top 15 apps in the Oculus store, these three guys over here own three of the top 15"
  • "You can make $10,000,000 as a small team building these apps"

• Being early in emerging tech creates two potential wins:

  • Building the breakthrough app that gets product-market fit (billions)
  • Being acquired for your technical expertise (50-100 million)
  • "If you're just the most hardcore tech team... your floor becomes like a 50 to 100 million dollar company"

• Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses represent the next evolution

  • Practical features that work today (audio like AirPods, hands-free camera)
  • "For kids this thing is incredible" - capturing moments without fumbling for phones
  • Currently "uncontested" market with competitors failing (Magic Leap, Humane Pin)

• Time-in-market beats timing the market

  • "All the money is made in being sort of right on time, but timing is super hard"
  • Better to focus on "time in market" like Warren Buffett's investment philosophy
  • "We just have to survive five years... in order to be there"