Mark Lucovsky, the senior director of engineering at Google, is leaving his post over the company’s recent changes in leadership and “unstable commitment and vision.”
The former senior director announced his departure in a tweet on Monday:
I have decided to step away from my role at Google, where I was Senior Director of Engineering, responsible for OS and Software Platform for AR and XR devices. The recent changes in AR leadership and Google’s unstable commitment and vision have weighed heavily on my decision.
— mark lucovsky (@marklucovsky) July 10, 2023
Lucovsky worked as a general manager of operating systems for Facebook (now known as Meta), with some of his projects including the Oculus VR headset. Eventually, he joined Google in 2021 as the OS team lead for its augmented reality (AR) products.
Following his resignation, Lucovsky shared that he will continue to explore opportunities that allow him to “further advance” AR tech and its intersection with generative AI.
“I approach the next chapter with enthusiasm and anticipation for the exciting possibilities that lie ahead,” he added.
Lucovsky’s decision comes after a series of challenges that have faced Google’s AR team since the start of the year.
Last February, the former vice president of Google Labs, Clay Bavor, left the tech giant to create his own AI company with a former Salesforce co-CEO, Bret Taylor.
More recently, the company has reportedly shut down its internal AR hardware development and announced that it will pull the plug on Project Iris – its plans to create AR glasses.
Google’s struggle with developing AR technology comes as no surprise, considering the increasingly competitive landscape of mixed reality hardware.
With Apple’s Vision Pro slated for release next year, and Meta’s Quest 3 headset to be launched this fall, the tech giant announced that it will focus on producing software instead of hardware.
The company is also reportedly creating a new “micro XR” platform to be licensed by other AR and VR companies, similar to how it provides Android for phones.
With Google stepping back from hardware, this could provide an opening for augmented reality development companies to fill the void, especially in creating applications that can be integrated into the upcoming platform.