Google's Senior Director of Engineering Mark Lucovsky has stepped down from his position. Lucovsky, who held the position of head of operating systems on Google's augmented reality (AR) team, has announced his exit from the company citing "changes in AR leadership and Google's unstable commitment and vision".

Lucovsky made the announcement on Twitter on Monday.

Moving forward, I am eager to explore opportunities that allow me to further advance Augmented Reality technology and its intersection with generative AI. I approach the next chapter with enthusiasm and anticipation for the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

— mark lucovsky (@marklucovsky) July 10, 2023

Lucovsky's exit adds to the series of challenges faced by Google's AR team in recent months, including layoffs and the resignation of Clay Bavor, the former head of VR at Google.

Business Insider reported in June that Google had given up on its plans to develop AR glasses under the codename Project Iris. Additionally, Google has discontinued the enterprise edition of Google Glass.

Before joining Google in 2021 to lead the OS team for AR, Lucovsky worked at Facebook for four years, where he served as the general manager for Oculus VR.

On his future endeavors, Lucovsky stated, "Moving forward, I am eager to explore opportunities that allow me to further advance Augmented Reality technology and its intersection with generative AI. I approach the next chapter with enthusiasm and anticipation for the exciting possibilities that lie ahead."

As the mixed-reality industry becomes increasingly crowded and competitive, with the release of the Quest 3 headset and the Apple Vision Pro, Insider reported that Google is shifting its focus away from AR hardware and instead concentrating on developing software for AR products. Google is reportedly working on a "micro XR" platform that could be sold to other headset manufacturers and is also engaged in a mixed-reality project in collaboration with Samsung and Qualcomm.

First Published:Jul 11, 2023 2:54 PM IST