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Who is the leader of Snapchat in AR?

Who is the leader of Snapchat in AR?

Augmented reality (AR) is transforming how we interact with the digital world. By overlaying digital information and objects onto the physical environment, AR makes the virtual seem real. Snapchat has emerged as a leading platform for AR experiences. Through fun lenses and immersive world lenses, Snapchat is bringing AR to the masses. But who is leading the charge on AR within Snapchat? Let’s take a closer look at the key players driving Snapchat’s AR innovation.

Bobby Murphy – Co-Founder and CTO

As Snapchat’s co-founder and chief technology officer, Bobby Murphy has been instrumental in building Snapchat’s AR capabilities. Murphy oversees Snap’s engineering teams that develop Snapchat’s core products, including its AR experiences.

Under Murphy’s technical leadership, Snapchat became one of the first social platforms to introduce AR lenses in 2015. This allowed users to overlay virtual objects and effects onto their selfies, transforming the Snapchat camera into an AR playground. The initial offering of 30 AR lenses proved instantly popular, with users playing around with the funny and transformative effects.

Since then, Snapchat’s suite of AR lenses has grown exponentially. There are now over 250,000 lenses available, created both by Snap and outside developers. Lenses remain one of Snapchat’s signature features, driving engagement and creativity. Murphy’s team continues to advance the computer vision technology that powers lenses. Recent innovations include machine learning techniques that allow lenses to interact with the environment in real-time.

Beyond lenses, Murphy spearheaded the launch of Snapchat’s AR world lenses in 2019. World lenses leverage AR to place virtual objects and characters into the physical world, as seen through the Snapchat camera. Interactive games like Snappables brought multiplayer AR gameplay to the platform. With Local Lenses, Murphy’s team found ways to overlay location-specific AR effects onto key landmarks and locations.

As CTO, Murphy is responsible for ensuring that all of Snapchat’s AR capabilities scale to support over 250 million daily users. Under his technical direction, Snap’s AR platform has grown from a fun experiment into one of the largest mobile AR deployments globally.

Eitan Pilipski – VP Camera Platform

Leading Snap’s camera platform team, Eitan Pilipski is driving the development of Snapchat’s AR technology foundations. The camera platform provides the infrastructure that enables AR experiences like lenses and world lenses.

Pilipski joined Snap in 2017, bringing with him over 15 years of experience developing computer vision products. At Snap, he quickly got to work building out the company’s AR toolset. His team focuses on advancing AR through research in key areas like 3D reconstruction, occlusion, and plane detection. These technical capabilities allow for realistic interactions between virtual objects and real-world surfaces in Snapchat’s AR experiences.

Under Pilipski, Snap released an advanced set of Camera Kit tools for developers to build AR lenses in 2018. Camera Kit gave lens creators more sophisticated templates and segmentation functionality to work with. Pilipski’s team then expanded Camera Kit to iOS in 2019, bridging the AR gap between Android and iOS Snapchat apps. These tools helped fuel the massive growth of Community Lenses within Snapchat.

Pilipski also oversees Snap’s partnerships with AR hardware companies to enable spectacles and headset integration. In 2022, Snap announced an expanded partnership with Plessey, which will create custom micro-LED AR displays for future AR glasses. By strengthening these relationships, Pilipski is preparing Snapchat’s AR platform for the hands-free future of AR wearables.

As VP of camera platform, Pilipski provides Snapchat with robust AR infrastructure and development tools. His efforts in computer vision research and hardware partnerships reinforce Snap’s position as a leader in AR.

Bobby Murphy – Co-Founder and CTO

As Snapchat’s co-founder and chief technology officer, Bobby Murphy has been instrumental in building Snapchat’s AR capabilities. Murphy oversees Snap’s engineering teams that develop Snapchat’s core products, including its AR experiences.

Under Murphy’s technical leadership, Snapchat became one of the first social platforms to introduce AR lenses in 2015. This allowed users to overlay virtual objects and effects onto their selfies, transforming the Snapchat camera into an AR playground. The initial offering of 30 AR lenses proved instantly popular, with users playing around with the funny and transformative effects.

Since then, Snapchat’s suite of AR lenses has grown exponentially. There are now over 250,000 lenses available, created both by Snap and outside developers. Lenses remain one of Snapchat’s signature features, driving engagement and creativity. Murphy’s team continues to advance the computer vision technology that powers lenses. Recent innovations include machine learning techniques that allow lenses to interact with the environment in real-time.

Beyond lenses, Murphy spearheaded the launch of Snapchat’s AR world lenses in 2019. World lenses leverage AR to place virtual objects and characters into the physical world, as seen through the Snapchat camera. Interactive games like Snappables brought multiplayer AR gameplay to the platform. With Local Lenses, Murphy’s team found ways to overlay location-specific AR effects onto key landmarks and locations.

As CTO, Murphy is responsible for ensuring that all of Snapchat’s AR capabilities scale to support over 250 million daily users. Under his technical direction, Snap’s AR platform has grown from a fun experiment into one of the largest mobile AR deployments globally.

Eitan Pilipski – VP Camera Platform

Leading Snap’s camera platform team, Eitan Pilipski is driving the development of Snapchat’s AR technology foundations. The camera platform provides the infrastructure that enables AR experiences like lenses and world lenses.

Pilipski joined Snap in 2017, bringing with him over 15 years of experience developing computer vision products. At Snap, he quickly got to work building out the company’s AR toolset. His team focuses on advancing AR through research in key areas like 3D reconstruction, occlusion, and plane detection. These technical capabilities allow for realistic interactions between virtual objects and real-world surfaces in Snapchat’s AR experiences.

Under Pilipski, Snap released an advanced set of Camera Kit tools for developers to build AR lenses in 2018. Camera Kit gave lens creators more sophisticated templates and segmentation functionality to work with. Pilipski’s team then expanded Camera Kit to iOS in 2019, bridging the AR gap between Android and iOS Snapchat apps. These tools helped fuel the massive growth of Community Lenses within Snapchat.

Pilipski also oversees Snap’s partnerships with AR hardware companies to enable spectacles and headset integration. In 2022, Snap announced an expanded partnership with Plessey, which will create custom micro-LED AR displays for future AR glasses. By strengthening these relationships, Pilipski is preparing Snapchat’s AR platform for the hands-free future of AR wearables.

As VP of camera platform, Pilipski provides Snapchat with robust AR infrastructure and development tools. His efforts in computer vision research and hardware partnerships reinforce Snap’s position as a leader in AR.

Connor Cameron – Product Lead for AR Shopping

As product lead for AR shopping, Connor Cameron heads up Snapchat’s efforts to integrate AR technology into e-commerce experiences. His team develops tools that allow brands to showcase and sell products through virtual try-on lenses and product visualization.

Cameron has played an integral role in bringing AR shopping features to Snapchat. In 2018, Snap launched Shoppable AR lenses that let users virtually try on makeup products from brands like MAC Cosmetics. The next year, Snap introduced Scan, its visual product search tool. Users can use Scan to identify products around them and Surface products on Snapchat to unlock AR shopping lenses.

Under Cameron’s leadership, Snapchat has continued to develop immersive AR shopping experiences. The TrueSize shopping lens uses AR to help find properly fitting clothes and shoes. Brands like Prada have leveraged these tools for virtual fashion shows with AR models. In 2021, Snap acquired Fit Analytics, a technology startup that will boost 3D avatar try-on capabilities.

By assembling a specialized product team, Cameron has established Snapchat as a platform on the cutting edge of AR e-commerce. Snap is exploring how AR can seamlessly bridge in-store and online shopping. With Cameron’s expertise, Snapchat aims to blend inspiration and utility into a new generation of interactive shopping powered by AR technology.

Zain Qureshi – Regional Lead for Camera Platform Partnerships

As the regional lead for camera platform partnerships in EMEA, Zain Qureshi cultivates relationships with AR hardware companies across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He identifies opportunities for companies building AR devices to collaborate with Snapchat’s camera and AR capabilities.

Qureshi joined Snap in 2019 as a partner manager. He was quickly promoted to build out strategic alliances with AR manufacturers in the EMEA region. Under Qureshi’s direction, Snap has forged partnerships with AR leaders based in Europe. In 2021, Snap announced an alliance with image sensor company Omnivision to advance AR hardware built for fashion and e-commerce.

Qureshi has also helped connect Snap’s AR platform to smart glasses startups across EMEA. In 2022, Snap launched camera integration with Nreal’s Light AR glasses. Thanks to Qureshi’s collaboration, Nreal users can access Snapchat lenses and AR experiences through the lightweight mixed reality headset. Partnerships with up-and-coming AR wearables like Echo3D smart glasses are laying the groundwork for scaling Snapchat AR to new devices.

By expanding Snap’s AR hardware ecosystem in EMEA, Qureshi is driving future growth opportunities abroad. His team’s regional partnerships provide entry points for Snapchat’s AR platform into international markets. According to Qureshi, EMEA is poised to be a leader in the continued AR revolution.

Conclusion

Behind the playful AR lenses and filters that Snapchat is known for, there is a team of technology leaders driving cutting-edge innovation. Co-founder Bobby Murphy supplies the engineering vision and resources to turn AR into engaging consumer experiences scaled for Snapchat’s massive user base. Leaders like Eitan Pilipski and Connor Cameron head up specialized teams developing the camera technology and e-commerce capabilities fueling Snapchat’s AR platform. Regional experts like Zain Qureshi foster hardware partnerships that will take AR to the next level through wearables. Together, Snapchat’s AR leaders are positioning the company to stay on the leading edge of an exciting new computing paradigm. The Snapchat app provides a window into the innovative work this team is doing to advance augmented reality technology and its applications. With such momentum, Snapchat will continue to be a pioneering force in making AR ubiquitous in how we see and interact with the world around us.

Key Takeaways

  • Bobby Murphy’s technical leadership paved the way for Snapchat to become one of the first major social AR platforms through lenses.
  • Eitan Pilipski heads up Snap’s computer vision and camera kit development, providing robust infrastructure for AR experiences.
  • Connor Cameron drives Snapchat’s evolution into a destination for AR e-commerce through try-on lenses and 3D product visualization.
  • Regional experts like Zain Qureshi manage partnerships to integrate Snapchat’s AR with smart glasses and headsets.
  • Together, Snapchat’s AR leaders are pioneering consumer applications for augmented reality at global scale.