Magic Leap is undergoing layoffs just a few months after announcing a partnership with Google.
Online postings from recently departed employees raised public notice of the move. A “company spokesperson” from an external PR firm responded to an email we sent to Magic Leap, asking for a count of employees, whether they were still employed or not. We have moved our support teams to the frontline as part of our efforts. Magic Leap will continue actively supporting its customers, developers and large ecosystem via the Developer Support and Care Teams. Rony Abovitz was its founder and former chief executive officer. He raised millions of dollars from Google, Saudi Arabian private funds, and other investors. However, the money ran out around the same time that COVID-19 became a global phenomenon. Following
, Abovitz was replaced as CEO and the company continued to focus its offering toward enterprise.
Four years later, Magic Leap 2 is a state-of-the-art AR headset which externalizes most processing for the device into a wearable sling in the somewhat similar way Apple reduces weight on your head with Vision Pro’s battery pack. Apple’s and Meta’s VR headsets have fully opaque VR screens that recreate the real world in an entirely different way than Magic Leap. Meta’s Ray partnership, even without a screen, is a success in the smart glass category six years after its launch. The company has spent a lot of time and money on research to miniaturize components, manufacture, and drive the next generation of AR glasses. Meta’s goal is to reach targeting enterprise by 2020, when headsets and AR glasses could make $1 billion per quarter. What is its outlook for 2025? What is the value of Magic Leap’s IP portfolio for Google and other companies?