![]() Leap Motion's technology was embedded in an HP laptop, its product was sold in Best Buy locations, and its leadership could get meetings with anyone, including giants like Samsung and SoftBank. The startup's A-list backing helped it gain wide retail distribution for what was mostly a tool for developers. They were revered by many as a brilliant but eccentric duo: Holz, a former NASA consultant, was the brains behind the project, while Buckwald, a serial entrepreneur and fierce debater, brought the company's business savvy as CEO. The promise was that Leap Motion's algorithms could "replace the mouse and keyboard" with a piece of hardware that could sense the user's hands and fingers "with no visible lag time." The initial product paired with Windows and Mac computers, cost $80, and launched in July 2013.Īt 25 years old, Leap Motion's cofounders were listed in Forbes' "30 Under 30" list alongside tech luminaries like Evan Spiegel, Tracy Chou, and Patrick Collison. You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop. ![]() Got a tip about Apple or Leap Motion? Email the author at or direct message on Twitter Secure messaging available upon request. "Leap Motion is frequently solicited for acquisition by larger technology companies who realize the value of our team and the crucial role of our technology and research to the future of computing," a Leap Motion representative told Business Insider.īut many people familiar with Leap Motion described Apple's latest offer as a last-ditch opportunity for Leap Motion to sell a business that for years has teetered amid financial instability. But the episode reveals Apple's continued interest in technologies it could use for its rumored augmented-reality glasses and software, as well as what happens when a startup that was once highly valued lands on the sales block. That was only the first misstep in a yearslong courtship, with Apple expressing continued interest in acquiring Leap Motion despite what appeared to be Holz's marked distaste for both Apple's team and its technology.Īpple didn't respond to repeated requests for comment. David was like, 'I'm never going to go work for those guys - they're the devil,'" a person who worked for Leap Motion at the time said. "That's why the Apple thing didn't work out. He told Apple representatives the company was no longer innovative, said its technology "sucked," and - to the disbelief of many there - praised the virtues of Android. Not only did Holz seem uninterested in Apple's prospective offer to acquire its team and intellectual property, the people said, but he was insulting. The first time Apple expressed interest in buying the startup was about five years earlier, in 2013, when Leap Motion's cofounders met with the company to discuss a sale.īut the meeting went poorly, multiple people said, when Holz, the CTO and brilliant technical brain behind Leap Motion, said he had no interest in joining Apple's team. The company was on the verge of being acquired by Apple, for what insiders said was a figure between $30 million and $50 million.Īpple had already started talks with Leap Motion's human-resources department to review company benefits and sent offer letters enclosed in white folders emblazoned with its silver signature logo - the arrival of which caused many employees to high-five around the office. In late spring, employees of the augmented-reality startup Leap Motion were celebrating. People familiar with Leap Motion said Apple's latest offer might have been the last opportunity for Leap Motion to sell a business that for years has teetered amid financial instability.But negotiations fell through just days before the deal was to be closed, according to people familiar with the matter. Insiders said the figure discussed was between $30 million and $50 million, a fraction of the company's Series B valuation of $306 million.Apple has offered to buy the augmented-reality startup Leap Motion multiple times, most recently in the spring of 2018.If you want to find out more about us, my colleagues are Associate Professor Marcus Carter, Dr.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. The survey should take no longer than twenty minutes to complete, and if you don’t want to or can’t answer a question, all the questions are skippable. ![]() We are looking for people with disabilities who have tried AR and/or VR before to complete our survey and tell us about their experiences. The goal of our research is to figure out how we can make VR and AR hardware more accessible (the ethics approval for our research is 2023/352 and we also have linktree – linktr.ee/vrdisability). We are researching accessibility barriers that are created by virtual reality and augmented reality technology. My name is Kate Clark and I’m part of a team of researchers from the University of Sydney.
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