Meta delivered Horizon Worlds VR users a 90-day eviction notice...then walked it back to soften the blow. Days later, Rec Room announced its own shutdown. And the social VR community is left managing an unexpected but very real grief over virtual identities, digital worlds they built, and communities they called home with no other (virtually) real place to go and rebuild.

In this episode, Clorama sits down again with Siciliana Trevino, a decade-long veteran of social VR, to ask the question the industry keeps avoiding: why does a technology with this much genuine potential keep falling short of what it could be and who it actually ends up serving?

They cover:

• Why the Horizon Worlds collapse hurts even for people who never used it
• The sunk cost fallacy and what it really costs to believe in a virtual platform today
• Why VRChat survived when Horizon, Rec Room and AltSpace didn't
• Why "VR is dead" is misunderstood according to it's team member Siciliana (and possibly liberating) thing the community can hear right now
• What a healthy relationship with unstable, unproven but genuinely exciting technology actually looks like
• The reality of who actually uses it and why it likely hasn't reached its fullest potential as a result

The Existential Crisis of a Tech Enthusiast is a 6-episode series examining the widening gap between XR's biggest promises and the people who believed in them most.

(Recorded on March 29th, 2026)

🎙️ Guest: Siciliana Trevino -- 3D designer, world builder, former PM at AlcoveVR

🎙️ Host: Clorama Dorvilias -- Creative Technologist, Former Founder, and Former PM (at Meta Reality Labs and Google XR)

📺 Series: The Existential Crisis of a Tech Enthusiast (Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts)

🔔 Subscribe for new episodes covering the latest in XR, emerging tech, and the thinking behind the industry's biggest swings and misses.

Why did AI take off so quickly, while XR, despite years of promise and investment, never quite caught the same fire? And where have all the community led VR/XR Developer communities gone?

In this episode, I chat with Neilda Pacquing Gagné, former XR founder turned AI ecosystem builder, she shares her experience growing Ottawa’s AI community from just 3 to over 1,500 in two years.

And what becomes clear is this: strong builder communities act like fire starters for scaling new tech

If new tech is the spark, developers and creators keep the fire going--helping it catch, spread, and burn long enough to turn into something real.

We talk about what helped AI catch that fire, easy ways to get started, tools people could actually use, and a culture of learning together (and why XR, in many ways, struggled to build that same kind of shared momentum despite the hype.)

This conversation is also a reflection on something many tech platforms still overlook: ensuring communities have ease to developing together is vital part of the roadmap strategy.

We discuss:
• Why XR felt more fragmented and harder to build within
• Why AI feels more open and easier to experiment with
• What it takes to build a healthy, active builder community
• What platform leaders can learn from these differences
• Why community isn’t just support (Hint: it’s what drives growth)

If you’re thinking about where technology is headed, this is really a conversation about the invisible forces that decide whether something grows...or fades out.

Host:
Clorama
www.linkedin.com/in/clorama

Special Guest:
Neilda Gagne, AGI Ventures: Ecosystem Architect
•⁠ ⁠https://www.neilda.com/
•⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/neildapacquing/
•⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.agiventures.ca/

00:00 Hook: Why AI Is Scaling Faster Than XR

*Part 1: Neilda's Journey into Architecting an Ecosystem*

04:10 Intro to Neilda
11:09 From Silicon Valley to Ottawa
12:54 How Tech Meetups Led to a Career Breakthrough
16:12 Why Real Connection Beats "Networking"

18:36 The Unexpected Start of a Community Builder
19:56 Biggest Mistakes When Starting a Community
23:34: Building a Thriving AI Ecosystem
28:18 From 'Community' to Company'
28:41 How a Community Grows From 3 to 1500 People

33:01 Struggles with Building Communities in Silicon Valley
33:17 Tech Ecosystem vs Builder Community
35:25 The Problem With Leader-Centered Communities

37:08 The 8 Values That Keep Growing AGI's Community Health
42:41 How Leaving Silicon Valley can be advantageous for innovation
43:26 Building In Isolation vs In Community
47:28 The Hidden Link Bt Diversity and Community Values

49:42 Creating a Hacker House
52:56 Turning Community Into a Sustainable Ecosystem
54:03 Real Success Stories From the Community
55:43 How to Select the Right Builders for Your Ecosystem

*Part 2: Why XR Struggles to Maintain Momentum? What is Big Tech Platforms missing?*

58:09 Structural Challenges of XR Communities
01:03:39 Why XR Communities Fragment

01:07:41 The Role Big Tech Plays (and Often Misses)
01:08:46 Managing Conflict in High-Performance Communities
01:11:25 If Communities Drive Innovation… What Must Big Tech Change?

01:20:44 What keeps Builders consistent?
01:21:28 Creating Spaces Where Everyone Can Contribute
01:23:06 Claude vs ChatGPT?

Why did AI take off so quickly, while XR, despite years of promise and investment, never quite caught the same fire?

In this episode, I sit down with Neilda Pacquing Gagné, former XR founder turned AI ecosystem builder, to explore a simple but powerful idea: it’s not just the hardware technology that makes something grow, it’s the people and communities who build for it.

Neilda shares her experience growing Ottawa’s AI community from just a handful of people to over 1,500 in two years. And what becomes clear is this: strong builder communities act like fire starters.

If new tech is the spark, developers and creators keep the fire going--helping it catch, spread, and burn long enough to turn into something real.

We talk about what helped AI catch that fire, easy ways to get started, tools people could actually use, and a culture of learning together (and why XR, in many ways, struggled to build that same kind of shared momentum despite the hype.)

This conversation is also a reflection on something many tech platforms still overlook: tech roadmaps on their own doesn’t create lasting impact people do, when they’re connected integrated into that planning in the right way.

We discuss:
• Why XR felt more fragmented and harder to build within
• Why AI feels more open and easier to experiment with
• What it takes to build a healthy, active builder community
• What platform leaders can learn from these differences
• Why community isn’t just support (Hint: it’s what drives growth)

If you’re thinking about where technology is headed, this is really a conversation about the invisible forces that decide whether something grows...or fades out.

00:00 Why AI Is Scaling Faster Than XR
04:10 Meet Neilda

11:09 From Silicon Valley to Ottawa: The Unexpected Start of a Community Builder
12:54 How Tech Meetups Led to a Career Breakthrough
15:13 Breaking Into Tech: UX, Networking, and Learning Fast
16:12 Why Real Connection Beats "Networking"

18:36 Discovering a Passion for Building Communities
19:56 What Many Get Wrong About Tech Communities

21:23 XR vs AI Communities: What’s Different?
23:34: Building a Thriving AI Ecosystem

28:18 From 'Community' to Company'
28:41 The Real Challenge: Making Communities Sustainable
30:18 Why Collaboration Beats Competition in Builder Spaces
30:38 The Difference Between “Idea People” and Builders

31:35 What Makes AI Tinkerers Different
32:29 How a Community Grows From 3 to 1500 People
33:01 What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong About Community

33:17 Designing an Ecosystem (Not Just a Community)
33:57 How to Know If Your Community Can Survive Without You
35:25 The Problem With Leader-Centered Communities

39:05 Why Fun Is a Serious Strategy
42:41 Why Innovation Thrives Outside Silicon Valley
43:26 Individualism vs Community: What Actually Works?
47:28 The Hidden Link Bt Community and Diversity in Tech

49:42 Creating a Hacker House
52:56 Turning Community Into a Sustainable Ecosystem

54:03 Real Success Stories From the Community
55:43 How to Select the Right Builders for Your Ecosystem

58:09 Structural Challenges of Creating XR Builder Communities

01:03:39 Why XR Communities Fragment
01:05:43 What It Takes to Build Sustainable Tech Communities

01:07:41 The Role Big Tech Plays (and Often Misses)
01:08:46 Managing Conflict in High-Performance Communities

01:11:25 If Communities Drive Innovation… What Must Big Tech Change?
01:13:34 Builder Ecosystems vs Startup Ecosystems

01:17:55 Mistakes That Kill Communities
01:20:44 What keeps Builders consistent?
01:21:28 Creating Spaces Where Everyone Can Contribute

01:23:06 Claude vs ChatGPT?

As smart glasses become more recognizable in everyday life, early signs of social backlash are already emerging and they resemble the same kind of reactions that led to sinking Google Glass.

However, nearly every major tech company is preparing to launch AI-powered smart glasses at full speed ahead, combining wearable cameras, AI assistants, and potentially facial recognition. All this, despite the higher cultural stakes of social risks posed by social media, shaky political climate and a culture of ubiquitous online sharing.

In Part 2 of this conversation, XR experts Clorama and Siciliana unpack the technology’s biggest “killer features” and the social challenges they may bring.

Topics discussed:

In this episode we explore:

• Who are the target users for smart glasses today?
• The Role AI might play to driving mainstream adoption
• The growing backlash around covert recording and surveillance concerns
• The psychological and cultural implications of wearable AI companions
• And the biggest question of all: can smart glasses overcome the social resistance they may face?

As wearable technology becomes more powerful and accessible, the path to mainstream adoption may depend less on what the technology can do, and more on what society is willing to accept. Let's talk about it.

Host:

Clorama Dorvilias

www.linkedin.com/in/clorama

Twitter: @creativeclo

Special Guest:

Siciliana Trevino

Linkedin: /siciliana
Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/860002

Chapters

00:00 Hook

01:08 Big Tech's Vision and "Superintelligence": Who is this for?

12:53 Why Smart Glass Adoption #s Can Be Misleading

17:06 Evaluation Product Market Fit

19:06 Who are Smart Glasses for today?

22:08 The Trust Factor in Smart Glasses

23:17 AI as the Game Changer for Smart Glasses

25:00 Will Smart Glasses Appeal to Struggling Middle Class Americans?

26:56 AI Companionship and Emotional Connections

30:45 Can Smart Glasses overcome Social Resistance to "Surveillance"

33:29 SmartGlasses we're excited for as enthusiasts!

34:22 Clo's Afterthoughts

In this episode, Clorama Dorvilias (Former PM at Meta/Google, XR Entrepreneur and Dev) teams up again with Siciliana Trevino (Former PM at AlcoVR, XR Designer, and Women and XR/AR Allies) take a step back from the hype to examine the assumptions behind the smart glasses push. Discussion ranges from cultural readiness and privacy concerns to most impactful use cases and current market appetite these glasses are entering today.

With 20+ years of industry experience between them, they explore:

• Why every major tech company is betting on glasses now
  
• Whether consumers actually want constant capture and ambient AI
  
• And what real success for XR would need to look like to move beyond early adopters
  

If smart glasses are truly the future, Part 1 of this conversation asks the question that matters most:

Who are they actually for? What problem are they solving? And do the conditions exist in the market for these glasses to take off in ways that VR hasn't yet?

00:00 Introduction 

01:36 How We Define Success for XR

03:54 Why SmartGlasses are Hard to Predict

05:43 Can Big Tech still move as fast in today's industry?

08:35 Can SmartGlasses win the war against social/culture norms?

11:01 Perception of Smartglasses today

13:58 Google Glass: Too Early or a Cautionary Tale?

16:16 Safety for some, surveillance for others

23:22 User Demand for Smartglasses is....More Screens?? 

23:41 What Smart Glass Camera's get right

24:58 The Guardrails SmartGlasses needs to Scale in a healthy way

26:46 The Design and Business Challenges of Smart Glasses

26:46 Smart Glasses: More Entertainment than Utility?

31:14 Big Tech's Shift from Innovating Killer Apps to Launching Platforms 

34:29 Did XR’s Gaming-First Strategy Limit Its Broader Market Potential

39:34 Outro! Stay Tuned for Part 2

In this series, former PM and industry insider Clorama Dorvilias (that's me!) explores the growing tension inside the tech industry and the widening gap as enthusiasts begin questioning their role, their return on investment, and their place in the ever-shifting promises of XR and emerging tech.

From “prototype-as-product” launches to bewildering “standout features,” to disappearing partnerships and constantly deprecated SDKs… Its safe to say that a ten-year journey toward “the next biggest platform after mobile” has left consumer enthusiasts, investors, entrepreneurs, and developers all asking the same question:

Who is this actually for?

2026 is bringing a wave of new XR devices from both big and small players alike. And yet, despite constant user feedback, community discussions, and access to unprecedented amounts of data, many of these products still seem to puzzle enthusiasts, miss the mark or arrive on shaky footing.

So with billions in resources, huge AAA partnerships and Blockbuster IPs, and access to more real world user data than any other companies in the world…

What is big tech still getting wrong?

Join us for this 6-episode series as we unpack the latest XR releases and examine the thinking, incentives, and strategies that may be steering the industry away from the very people who once believed in it most.

Welcome to the first episode of the series, this conversation, XR Veterans Siciliana and Clorama explore the future of VR and AR , and the business landscape surrounding these technologies with a product management lens.

They discuss the hype versus reality of VR, the importance of sustainability in business, and the impact of technology on society, particularly in education.

The conversation emphasizes the need for practical applications of technology and the potential for XR to create meaningful change in various sectors with or without the hype, platform shift, and market-scale predictions.

#VirtualReality #ARGlasses #XR #Technology #Emergingtech #newtechnology #markethype #AIhype

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and VR Landscape

02:09 Consumer Confusion and Market Dynamics

03:31 Why the Immediate Rush for XR to have Mass Adoption today?

04:14 Investors, Creators, and the Promise of VR

07:08 The Cycles of Disappointment for XR Creators and Investors

08:19 Defining Success in the VR Industry

14:13 Introductions ! Clorama and her journey in XR

19:26 How Siciliana and Clorama met!

20:49 Siciliana's Introduction

23:09 Challenges with XR Development (World of Warcraft)

28:04 Is XR/Emerging Tech Industry selling a 'get rich quick' scheme??

31:23 Siciliana reflects on her XR motivations as a first gen in XR: The American Dream and Financial Independence

37:44 VR is a Rollercoaster ride

39:57 Whose Version of 'Success in Tech/XR' Are We Chasing?

43:02 What Happens When XR Takes Too Long to Become Mainstream?

46:45 Accessibility Features vs. Business Growth

47:14 The Future of Smart Glasses and Consumer Adoption

48:31 The Hype Machine: VR's Trajectory and Market Reality

48:52 Are CEO led Predictions leading us astray?

50:53 When did CEO Predictions become credible?

51:51 Is XR a Business Solution in search of a Consumer Problem?

01:00:33 Exploring Building for Meaning vs for Money in XR

01:06:35 How Do We Decipher XR innovation as a Need-to-Have vs Just Hype

01:08:42 When did Innovation Stop Speaking to User Needs?

01:14:02 Is Friction the Barrier or is it Actually Low Value?

01:15:19 Does AI Threaten the need for XR?

01:17:25 What Does True Success look like for XR?