Microsoft and Facebook parent company Meta have their own visions of a virtual world called the metaverse, but an alternative open-source vision from Seattle sci-fi author Neal Stephenson is gaining traction.

And while Stephenson may not have billions of dollars at his disposal, he does have a selling point that tech heavyweights can’t match: He’s the guy who came up with the metaverse concept for a 1992 sci-fi novel. titled “SnowCrash”. .”

The company co-founded by Stephenson and digital currency pioneer Peter Vessenes, known as Lamina1, aims to harness the blockchain, a technology that is as active as the multiverse…