More On Linden Lab Acquiring Caspertech

 

 If you rent a place in Second Life through someone rather than getting it directly from Linden Lab, then chances are you know of Caspertech. Their rentboxes are a fairly common sight in numerous places here, including at the Sunweaver Estates where the Newser office makes it's home. Since 2018 with the closing of Hippo Technologies, they've clearly been the top seller of rental vendors. Things seem to have run smoothly with them. So it was a big surprise yesterday when Linden Lab announced they were acquiring them. 

 

CasperTech has provided various business related services within Second Life for 13 years. Over that time, CaperTech has proudly provided continuous service for tens of thousands of Second Life businesses, and it has remained steadfast in its commitment to the merchants who have depended on those services.

This acquisition will ensure that all of the existing CasperTech services in Second Life will continue to operate without interruption into the foreseeable future, but it also opens up brand new opportunities to vastly improve the experience for our users as our next step in the CasperTech and Second Life journey.  

You can expect to see the same great services that you know and love continue on, with all of the same functionality you enjoy today, but with closer integration into the Second Life ecosystem – and as such, an even more reliable and convenient experience.

The news sparked more than a few questions and some fears among some residents, both those on the forum thread to discuss the matter, as well as conversations with people I had that day. A few were expecting Linden Lab to gouge them to the point they'd have to give up some of their land. 

Shortly afterwards, there was a special episode of Lab Gab to help explain things. In short, Caspervend is not in trouble, but the owner had other reasons to sell.
 

Caspertech is owned by Casper Warden, and he and Patch Linden were interviewed by Strawberry Linden. Casper stated he came to Second Life in 2006, was asked to by people in his real-life job to take a look at it. Worked on promotional material for the company at first. But was soon making his own items. Caspertech as a Second Life company has been around for 13 years. Casper originally created the vendor system in 2009 for his own personal use as he didn't like some of the ways what was on the market worked, "they were script-heavy, and I didn't like the way that the vendors scrolled through the products." But he soon realized people were more interested in his vendors than what he was selling, "In hindsight, I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised by that." So he soon launched version one to the public. While he didn't do an ad campaign for it, word spread by word of mouth and started becoming popular, "and we just continued to expand to meet customer needs." Casper does make other items, such as a security orb and a product update system, though his vendors continue to be his "bread and butter."

Patch called himself "a bit of a fan" about Casper's products, and had been using them not just for himself, but Linden Lab work, calling it "an awesome system." He would say the talks about Linden Lab getting Caspertech started, "a little while back now," with he and Casper talking on various subjects, and eventually came to the idea of the Lab taking the system and intigrating it with Second Life. This way, Patch stated, this would mean the long-term stability of the vendor system while under the Lab there would be more resources available to improve on it. So Patch asked him about the idea, "and well, here we are." Patch went on to say Caspertech's technology, "will bring a lot of capabilities ... in the future."

Strawberry asked what residents can expect. Casper answered that customer services will continue, "It's really critical to us that our customers don't get disrupted." He went on to say that he was still basically in charge of Caspertech's day to day operations, saying the big difference was that they now had, "the support and resources of Linden Lab behind us," reminding that other companies offering rental vendors had closed down over the years, "now our customers can be assured that their Caspertech services aren't just going to suddenly disappear." Of the future, he stated that he saw "plenty of exciting opportunities" to improve the vendor system, saying residents can expect "significant" improvements. Patch stated that in the deal, the Lab "would not interrupt or change what you know and love about the Casper products today. They will continue for the foreseeable future just as they are now. ... the goal is to ... give Second Life residents the tools they need to be successful in what they do."

Casper described himself as mainly a software engineer, and stated that as his business expended, "I found increasingly less and less time on my hands to really spend on the code," and that "many requested features have kind of sat on the back burner. ... this move give me an opportunity to really get back to what I love and what I'm good at," developing his rental vendors and other products of his. He would go on to say he'll still be online, and around in group chat, "monitoring and helping to keep everything running," and thanked his support staff, "who have already kept the show running all these years."

Patch stated they would soon start working with Casper to "transition the service" to the Lab, saying the goal was to make it smooth to the point it wouldn't be noticed by anyone. And after that, Casper would presumable have more time to work on the system's new features. 

In the forums, someone would ask Casper if he was in some kind of financial trouble, and he would answer, "No! We've been profitable since the day we launched. But the amount that one guy (me) can handle is limited, and as CT grew I found myself with a massive challenge and not enough time to improve the service. Now I can! *yay*" There were numerous other comments. Some were cautious, some were optimistic, some were a little of both, feeling the Lab wasn't out to gouge them but weren't so sure about the promised improvements. There were a few comparisons to Linden Lab's acquisition of Xstreet, which would eventually become Second Life's Marketplace. One would say this was no surprise as she felt Caspervend had gotten "too big to fail" for Second Life. 

While a major development, for now it appears little will change as far as daily life in Second Life goes. Hopefully Casper will soon come up with the improvements he says he was requested to make, but hadn't the time to develop them. For now, we can only wait and see.

Bixyl Shuftan

News and Commentary: Mixed Reaction to Buyout of Linden Lab

Well, that was a surprise.

Occasionally, there's a rumor that Linden Lab is talking to someone behind the scenes in negotiations to sell Second Life or be bought out. This was especially the case in 2010 in the months following the layoffs of a third of the staff. But while the Lab has made deals with other companies, the last time having sold Sansar to Wookey, there have been no negotiations about either the ownership of itself or Second Life (at least officially). That is until yesterday when in a Press Release, Linden Lab announced it had been "Acquired" by a group of investors.

It didn't take long for news to spread, and there's been no shortage of comments, such as the thread in the official forums. There's no shortage of predictions of doom, "Second Life is dead." "We're so screwed." "Damn I cannot believe it, after 13 years its time to say good bye, I guess, that sucks. I mean you put 13 years of your life into something and wham its gone just like that."

And there's more than a little pessimism, "But after being let down by Blizzard, Bioware and Bethesda, I'm usually not rooting for any company to get investors on board nowadays." "This is worrying indeed, I've always been more in favor of a company remaining independent from outside influences, and this is basically... the opposite." "Investment groups are typically parasites that contribute very little while sucking companies dry."

Some others were more optimistic, such as those pointing out Linden Lab founder Philip Rosedale quoted as saying, "I’ve known Brad for 14 years personally and professionally, and I’m confident he will bring his passion and proven strategies to help Linden Lab achieve new heights in distribution, scale, and quality while remaining true to the original vision, creativity, and community that makes Second Life unique and special.” And then there was the track record of Oberwager, "My ... thought was that this fellow buying the outfit seems to have more business success (with this sort of better Task Rabbit thing called Jyve) and more experience than the past lab technicians, and that's a good thing."

And there were those suggesting it was too soon to make conclusions, "I need to wait and see what Ebbe has to say from his side on this to us the users of SL before I get overly excited." "I've worked for several companies that got taken over by investment companies.  What happens next falls into two categories ... Things run smoothly for a year or so, then the investment company starts asset stripping piece by piece. ... The investment company...invests.  They take a loss on the initial purchase, a loss on the initial investment but have a road plan to regain that investment back in 2 to 5 years. ... THIS is the kind of investment company we can hope has taken over Linden Research, the type of company who are in it for the long haul. We will find out (probably by the beginning of next year) if the investment company who took over is path 1, or path 2." "After careful consideration, I have decided not to freak out just yet."  "Hope for the best. Plan for the worst. Expect nothing.That's it. Speculation is lovely and all but being panicked will not help whatsoever."

And of course there was humor, "I guess that guy that's been perving us all and IMing with only 'hi' all these years finally got the money to buy the thing."

It was also suggested that the negotiations for the buyout were the reason that there were no big revelations in the Meet the Lindens event at the Second Life Birthday this year.

Ebbe Altberg/Ebbe Linden would try to answer these concerns from residents on Twitter, saying Linden Lab was free to make it's own decisions, "No plan for drainage here. Great to remain independent. Everyone motivated to build and grow."

Brett Linden would finally step in the thread with his comments, "A few folks are speculating that this is the end of SL and nothing could be further than the truth. Any talk of dismantling or radically changing the fundamentals of SL that we know and love is inaccurate. While we can't get into specific details about the deal itself, I want to emphasize the fact that this keeps Linden Lab as an independent venture led by two investors who have a great deal of awareness about what SL is and isn't. They are excited to join and help us grow both SL and Tilia while also respecting and recognizing the needs and sensitivities of the existing culture and community. " When asked when more information was forthcoming, he answered, "We look forward to being able to share more as soon as we can and I know that Brad (Oberwager) is eager to meet the community as we get closer to the closing/approval date." Bret would go on to say that Oberwager would get an avatar and come inworld, for the Lab Gab show and meeting people elsewhere inworld. A couple Lindens, including Grumpity, would poke fun at the doom and gloom by wearing signs proclaiming "The end of the world is coming!"

My own opinion? In short, I tend to agree with those whom argue "wait and see." After being part of this virtual world for over thirteen years, I've seen my share of people of people predicting the end whenever something big happens. But I do see signs of optimism. That Oberwager is planning to come inworld to discuss things is a good sign. So are the Lindens with their "End of the world" joke signs. If they weren't optimistic, I doubt they'd be kidding around. Of the two people, one a member of Mensa, the other whom has an interesting success story with Jyve, it's obvious they're smart businessmen. That one plans to come inworld shows at least he wants to talk to his new customers.

On the other hand, there are enough acquisitions that went badly, or had mixed results. So those with dim outlooks don't have to look too deeply for evidence to support their conclusions.

So why did Waterfield and Oberwager's group of investors buy out Linden Lab when the company couldn't find a buyer in 2010, assuming the rumors were true? Well, Second Life's glory days were from 2006 to 2008. By 2010, it was clear the place wouldn't be drawing as many people as it once did for quite some time to come. Today, the world is under a global pandemic that has send many places into lockdowns and quarantines, and even in places that aren't people are discouraged from meeting up or going to crowded areas. The result is people are spending more time online, and more are coming here. Our future, at least for the near term, is looking brighter. And this is what financial investors are looking for.

In a sense, this sale marks Linden Lab finally becoming a success story in the eyes of the tech world. It's been commented on that one of the reasons Second Life wasn't considered one was it was never bought up by a larger company. And now, Linden Lab has been bought out under what look like generous terms. Not that Second Life's residents/customers cared much about what those people thought.

In any event, Linden Lab, and Second Life, are entering a new era. How it turns out, we'll need to wait several months at least, maybe over a year, before we can really say it was for the better or worse.

Image Credit: Whirly Fizzle

Source: Techcrunch

Bixyl Shuftan

BREAKING NEWS: Linden Lab Has Been "Acquired By Investment Group"

In a surprise move, earlier today Linden Lab announced in a press release on its website that it was now under the ownership of investors, with Randy Waterfield and Brad Oberwager as it's leaders.

 Linden Research, Inc. announced today it signed an agreement to be acquired by an investment group led by Randy Waterfield and Brad Oberwager. Closing of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approval by financial regulators in the U.S. related to Tilia Inc.’s status as a licensed money transmitter as well as other customary closing conditions. Upon closing, Mr. Waterfield and Mr. Oberwager will join the Board of Directors of Linden Research, Inc.

Randy Waterfield is described in his Linkedin page as "the Chairman of Waterfield Group, a diversified financial services holding company" with holdings in "technology, real estate, and asset management." The man is also described as a member of Mensa and a graduate of Harvard. He also worked at Goldman Sachs as an asset manager.

Bradford Oberwager  had this to say in his LinkedIn, "I have founded and/or run five tech/CPG companies—Jyve, Bare Snacks (acquired by PepsiCo), True & Good! Snacks, Acumins/more.com (acquired by HealthCentral), and Blue Tiger/Open Webs (acquired by CarParts). Of course, I founded more than these five, but I have had my share of failures as well. Learned a lot from them. These companies were built in partnership with spectacular executive teams and based on strong cultures. My father always said, 'The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.' At each of these companies, our 'main thing' is culture. We are obsessed with it. These teams believe diversity of thought is essential to success and understand with diversity comes conflict, which we wholeheartedly embrace. We have complete trust—in each other and in the certainty that in working through the conflict in a healthy way, we’re going to get someplace good."

The press release did quote Philip Rosedale, the founder of Linden Lab, as saying, "I’ve known Brad for 14 years personally and professionally, and I’m confident he will bring his passion and proven strategies to help Linden Lab achieve new heights in distribution, scale, and quality while remaining true to the original vision, creativity, and community that makes Second Life unique and special.” So the Lab is trying to put a positive spin on the change.

It's too soon to tell what effect this change will have on Second Life. But there's already discussion brewing about it, in various groups inworld and a thread in the official forums. Do you have any comments? Feel free to leave them below.

Stay tuned for more information on this breaking news.

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Lab Announces Sansar's Sale to Wookey

On Saturday March 21, it was noticed that Sansar didn't have Linden Lab mentioned as an owner, but Wookey. But there was no announcement from the Lab right away. On Tuesday, there was finally a press release from them about the sale.

Linden Lab has had some inquiries from the public and media about the current happenings of Sansar. We are very excited to witness the unfolding of Sansar getting a fresh opportunity to thrive under the ownership of Wookey Project Corp., a San Francisco-based technology company that has assumed all operations without any interruption to operations or the Sansar community.

We are proud to have given birth to this amazing platform for creativity and live events, and encourage our community to continue the process of supporting Sansar as it shifts to new ownership. We’ve assembled a quick FAQ to address key inquiries about this transition.

There was little information that wasn't already known, though of the people still on the Sansar team, "As for Linden Lab, many members of the Sansar team formerly employed by Linden Lab are staying with Sansar as employees under its new ownership."

On the Sansar blog, they tried their best to make the change look like good news.

Together, we’re turning a page on Sansar’s most dynamic chapter yet, and we’re excited to take you with us. We’re also grateful to Linden Lab for their many years of support, and we look forward to building on the work we started there.

What does this mean for you? More of the amazing events you know and love! More cosplay karaoke, more zero-gravity game nights, more of the massive interstellar shows that Sansar’s known for - thousands joining from anywhere in the world for one-of-a-kind live performances. You can also expect more features for meeting, socializing and hanging out with friends from around the world. Possibly even more ways to experience Sansar across different devices (more on this in weeks to come!). Nothing will change in your day-to-day.

Considering Wookey is a much smaller company than Linden Lab, and Sansar has a much smaller user base than Second Life, it's difficult to imagine them doing much of anything revolutionary in regards to virtual words in the future. Much has been spoken about if Sansar, which has been estimated to have cost the Lab 50-60 million dollars to develop, should never have been tried, or if they should have tried but their mistake was not having been smarter about it. But in any event, it is now no longer part of Linden Lab except as a chapter in it's history.

Source: New World Notes 

Bixyl Shuftan

Sansar Bought By Wookey

Sansar, the next generation virtual world created by Linden Lab a few years ago, has been sold.

There has been no announcement by Linden Lab, other than Ebbe Linden saying on the Lab Gab show last month that they were looking to either find someone to co-own Sansar with, or sell it to them. But yesterday it was noticed on Sansar's main page that Linden Lab was no longer mentioned, and at the bottom was "Wookey." It's also mentioned on the Terms of Service page. Sansar bucks have apparently been renamed Wookey Marks.

Wookey does have a webpage, www.wookey.com, but there's not a great deal of information on it. It does list the CEO as Mark Gustavson. It is based in San Francisco, the same city where Linden Lab is. Presumably the company is named after a town in England, though the resemblance to the name of the tall furry humanoids in Star Wars should be obvious to most anyone on the Internet.

Comments have already started on a thread in the Second Life forums.  One can also check out the Sansar Discord channel for more comments (and there have been plenty there).

Hat tip: Daniel Voyager

Bixyl Shuftan