Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson Talks Remote AR Meetings Ahead of Magic Leap 2 Release

The Paris-based technology conference Viva Technology, which hosted the likes of Apple's Tim Cook and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, is now over.

But there are still a few more treats to discover from the annual gathering. Namely, from new Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson.

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Unlike Cook and Zuckerberg, who both appeared at last week's tech conference via remote video, Johnson instead decided to appear in person. Although we're not aware of Johnson's specifics around the decision to appear in person, it's a move we're likely to see more of in the coming weeks now that France has modified its entry rules for U.S. citizens to allow non-quarantined travel for vaccinated visitors.

The fireside chat with Johnson, hosted by Publicis Groupe chairman Maurice Lévy, occurred just a few hours prior to Cook's, but we're only now getting a sample of what the new leader of Magic Leap had to say.

"I think the future will be hybrid. Companies will be more flexible, allowing employees to work from home, or at the office, and probably some mix of both of those things," said Johnson. "But this particular technology [augmented reality] can allow a better experience if you're not at the office."

Johnson's comments come after more than a year of forced adoption of remote working technology, most of which involved video clients like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft's Skype and Teams. Missing from a lot of the remote chatter has been Magic Leap, as well as some of its AR competitors. However, Johnson thinks we're in the midst of a change on that front.

"Now we're doing 2D video conferencing, now you can do 3D video conferencing. And if you're a design team perhaps working on automotive, or a fashion team working on a pair of shoes from wherever you're at you can be working on the same 3D image," said Johnson, in a short video clip shared via Twitter.

"It might be in my living room, it might be in your office, and we can work on the same image together at the same time. Which means we don't have to be physically present. So it gives another tool for employers to allow their employees a bit more flexibility in the workplace."

Although the buzz around Magic Leap has cooled in the past year following mass layoffs and executive departures, the company is still ramping up for a big splash with the release of the smaller Magic Leap 2, set to debut later this year.

Cover image via Viva Technology/Twitter