The Governor Is Dead! Long Live The Governor!

I didn't do it, I swear.

Because you are used to coming to the site for hard-hitting news that is up to date, (hah!), let me tell you that Phil is stepping down as CEO of Linden Labs.

I've complained about the issues in Second Life before and made amusing references to the death of the Governor, but this comes as a surprise to me.

I think one comment sums it up well:

I guess at this point - until I've had more chance to think about the implications - it could be summed up as "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst".

I think there's a pretty good chance that this will light a fire under the asses of those responsible for stability and user retention, but I also think that it's just as likely - if not more so - that it will end up evolving into a Second Life where so-called "non professional" content creators like myself are even less valued in favor of attracting the "big players".

I hope the nice, Libertarian bent of Second Life stays with an emphasis on grass roots growth of content. We saw how the emphasis on big corporations worked out for the Lindens.

This may be the beginning of the big push for a broader appeal like what happened on the Internet during the late 90s. It appears Phil will still be at the center of the "vision" of Linden Labs, which may be what keeps the focus on allowing hobbyists to thrive.