Jaron Lanier

VR Pioneer, Scientist, Musician, Artist & Author,

Jaron Lanier is a computer scientist, composer, artist, and author who writes on topics including high-technology business, the social impact of technology, the philosophy of consciousness and information, internet politics, and the future of humanism. A pioneer in virtual reality (a term he coined), Mr. Lanier founded VPL Research, the first company to sell VR products. He is currently an interdisciplinary scientist at Microsoft Research, and he was a founder or principal of startups acquired by Google, Adobe, Oracle, and Pfizer. His book Who Owns the Future? was awarded the 2014 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, one of the world’s highest literary honors. Mr. Lanier’s most recent book is Dawn of the New Everything: Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality. He also writes chamber and orchestral works, composing and performing frequently on film soundtracks, and his paintings and drawings have been exhibited in museums and galleries in the US and Europe.