This is a big loss for Microsoft and a big win for Google. Kinect developer and infamous Wii hacker Johnny Chung Lee has left Microsoft to become a “Rapid Evaluator” at Google.
In a post on his personal blog, Lee writes that he spent nearly three years working on human tracking algorithms for the Kinect, working on the gaming device from back when it was called “Project Natal” to its eventual release to the public (The Kinect sold 8 million units in the first 60 days it was open to the public).
Lee, who worked within Microsoft’s Applied Sciences group, also received a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University.
While it’s unclear what Lee will be doing as a Rapid Evaluator at Google, this could be a big talent win for the search giant’s rumored Gaming portal.
Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world’s information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers a plethora of online tools and platforms including: Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Google+, the company’s extension into the social space. Most of its Web-based products are free, funded by Google’s highly integrated online advertising platforms AdWords and AdSense. Google promotes the idea that advertising should be highly targeted and relevant to users thus providing...
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