Linden Lab CEO on Second Life's growth, future

While the recession has been brutal on most technology companies, one venture that has done relatively well is Linden Lab, the parent company of Second Life. When we first interviewed CEO Mark Kingdon in January, he said the company was profitable and growing. Last month, Linden Lab released figures showing increased usage of the virtual world, and a near doubling of the size of the in-world economy. The Standard recently caught up with Kingdon via email to see how the company's enterprise push is faring. The text of the Q&A follows.

The Industry Standard: How is the partnership with Immersive Workspaces going?

Mark Kingdon: Our partnership with Rivers Run Red -- one of our 35 Gold Solution Providers -- first announced about a year ago, is going well. Their Immersive Workspaces product was the first of several comprehensive business solutions developed in Second Life (more here). With very minimal set-up, a company can be holding meetings or hosting virtual events in Second Life. Immersive Workspaces are available both in Second Life and in the standalone behind-the firewall version of Second Life (which is in private beta -- codenamed Nebraska). There are more than 250 Solution Providers globally who are creating customized work and learning experiences for enterprises, government agencies, educational institutions, and non-profits. (For more info on the Gold program, go here)

TIS: By official estimates, we're nearly two years into the recession. How has that impacted enterprise use of Second Life?

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