Google Cuts AR Employees Simply as AR Tech Appears Set to Take a Vital Leap

It was one other powerful day for the tech sector yesterday, with Google saying a new round of lay-offs, and slashing a whole lot of roles from a number of divisions.

As reported by The New York Times, the majority of the cuts had been amongst these engaged on Google Assistant, with the corporate now trying to re-shape the tool around AI, and cut back some parts.

However one other attention-grabbing level of be aware was this:

“Google said that most of the hardware cuts affected a team working on augmented reality, technology that combines the real world with a digital overlay.”

Whereas Apple and Meta are advancing in direction of making AR an even bigger focus, with Apple’s first Imaginative and prescient Professional headsets to go on sale from February 2nd, Google’s now seemingly taking a step again.

May that imply that Google has fallen behind within the AR race, and it’s now conceding that the opposite tech giants have outmoded it?

Amid difficult market situations, the massive gamers are being compelled to make some powerful calls about their future bets, with Snap Inc. additionally reassessing their longer-term plans as a result of impacts within the digital adverts sector.

However AR does look set to have an enormous second, within the very close to future, and as such, it’s attention-grabbing to see Google doubtlessly deprioritizing it, particularly contemplating the alternatives that it may present for discovery merchandise.

Certainly, over the previous few years, Google has shared a number of glimpses of its potential value in an AR future, and the way digital overlays may complement Google’s core Search merchandise.

In 2022, Google even shared an overview of its own, in-development AR glasses, that are nonetheless seemingly in testing.

Google’s additionally been experimenting with numerous new initiatives as a part of its ARCore mission, together with AR video games.

In 2020, Google even partnered with Snapchat for an interactive tackle its ‘Year in Search’ traits overview, and with all of this, it has appeared like AR will likely be a logical extension of Google’s numerous parts, and as such, can be a key focus for the corporate shifting ahead.

The most recent cuts don’t essentially imply that it received’t be, however it’s attention-grabbing to think about why Google can be scaling again on this space, on the cusp of the subsequent stage of the tech.

Along with the pending Imaginative and prescient Professional launch, which is able to introduce extra folks to those immersive experiences, Meta’s additionally planning to start real world testing of its AR glasses prototype this year.

With a lot occurring, it will seem to be Google must be digging in, nevertheless it’s scaling again as a substitute.

Which appears odd, and naturally, there could also be extra to it that we are able to’t know. Nevertheless it might be that Google has determined that AR merely received’t be as massive part of its future plans.

It’ll be attention-grabbing to see the way it all develops, and the way Google seems to be to combine AR parts as they emerge. At one stage, I had speculated that Google might be a suitor for Snapchat, and will increase its AR performance via acquisition, which may nonetheless be on the playing cards, although given the broader cuts, that does appear unlikely.

Nevertheless it’s attention-grabbing to think about what Google’s focus will likely be, and the way it will look to construct across the subsequent tech traits.