The coming works THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION REPORTS that in the first six months of 2022, the word metaverse ap- peared in regulatory filings more than 1,100 times. The entire previous year saw 260 mentions. The preceding two decades? Fewer than a dozen in total. It increasingly feels as though every corporate executive must mention the metaverse-and, of course, how it naturally fits the capabilities of their company better than those of their competitors. Few seem to explain what it is or exactly what they'll build. The executive class also appears to disagree over fundamental aspects of this new plat- form, including the criticality of virtual reality headsets, block- chains, and crypto, as well as whether it's here now, might be soon, or is decades in the...