Deciding to Leave: Four Years of Building
After four years at Magic Leap, I've decided to move on. Reflections on the decision process and what made it time.
I'm leaving Magic Leap. After four and a half years building perception systems for mixed reality, it's time for the next chapter.
Why Now?
The learning curve flattened: Year 1-3 was steep learning. Year 4+ has been execution. Still valuable, but the growth rate slowed.
The company changed: Enterprise pivot, layoffs, leadership changes. Not the same company I joined.
The opportunity cost: At some point, staying becomes choosing to not do something else.
The offer: An opportunity emerged that checked every box.
What I'm Proud Of
Shipping: Magic Leap One is a real product that real people use. I led the perception system that makes it work.
Synthetic data: The team I founded generates millions of training images. It's now essential infrastructure.
Patents: Four patents filed, technical contributions that will outlast my tenure.
Team: 45+ people who grew in their careers. Several now lead their own teams.
Learning: I arrived knowing nothing about AR. I leave having architected state-of-the-art perception systems.
What I Regret
Not pushing harder on calibration earlier: We scrambled before ship. Earlier investment would have helped.
Some hiring decisions: A few people I championed didn't work out. Should have assessed fit more carefully.
Communication gaps: US-Israel coordination could have been better. Should have visited more.
Technical compromises: Some shortcuts we took for V1 limited V2 options. Should have held the line.
Lessons Learned
Hardware timelines are unforgiving: Decisions made in Year 1 determine what's possible in Year 4. Think ahead.
Data is strategy: The team that generates and curates training data faster wins. Invest in data infrastructure.
Shipping teaches what planning can't: All the analysis and planning doesn't compare to the crucible of launch.
Culture > Process: Good people with shared values figure out the right process. Process can't fix cultural problems.
The Next Chapter
I'm joining Meta's Reality Labs, leading Visual Positioning Service development. Different scale, different challenges, same fundamental problems of helping computers understand the physical world.
Magic Leap taught me what's possible. Meta will teach me what scale looks like.
Grateful to everyone who made these four years transformative. The work continues - just from a different seat.