What is the so-called metaverse, and how lucrative will it be for tech companies? It depends on whom you ask, the corporate equivalent of a Rorschach test.

A generally agreed-upon definition of the concept is a digital experience that blends virtual reality, streaming video, mobile games like Roblox and Fortnite, cryptocurrencies, social media, 5G, artificial intelligence and email. In short, a Sargasso Sea of tech buzzwords that approximates a digital facsimile of how we live in the physical world.