Amazon has posted jobs that include roles in computer vision, product management, and more. They reportedly referenced “XR/AR devices” and “an advanced XR research concept.” However, when this was being noticed, the company took off most of the openings.
For example, the description for the role Sr. Technical Program Manager, New Products contained the phrase “you will develop an advanced XR research concept into a magical and useful new-to-world consumer product.” Now simply reads, “you will develop a magical and useful consumer product,” though it also says, “our team specializes in inventing new-to-world, category-creating products using advanced sensing, display, and machine learning technologies.”
A UX Designer role asked that applicants be able to “think spatially, with 3D design experience in motion design, animation, AR/VR, games, architecture, or industrial design” to work on “the core system interface along with end-user applications spanning from multi-modal interfaces to 3D AR entertainment experiences.”
Google, Microsoft, and Snap have released various AR wearables over the years. Meta and Apple are also working on Augmented Reality quite profusely.
Now Amazon has jumped on the bandwagon. Amazon launched a new R&D group led by Kharis O’Connell, an executive who has previously worked on AR products at Google and elsewhere.
Some of Amazon’s job listings refer to Amazon’s AP product as a “smart home” device. And Amazon is among the tech companies that have experimented with room-scale projection and holograms instead of wearables for AR.
