Former Director of Xiaomi VR Jason Ma Joins ByteDance’s Pico

Business social networking websites show that Jason Ma, the former Director and Head of Xiaomi‘s VR department, has updated his personal certification to Head of Social VR at ByteDance’s Pico, domestic media outlet IThome reported on Monday.

Public information indicates that the Pico Social Center is committed to breaking the margin of human communication and realizing the experience revolution of lifestyle. It is a new business department for ByteDance, and the positions currently open for recruitment include R&D, 3D art design and social products.

Founded in March 2015, Pico is a tech firm focusing on mobile virtual reality (VR) technology and products, committed to building a world-leading mobile VR hardware and content platform. On August 29, 2021, Pico issued an internal letter to all its employees, disclosing that the company had been acquired by TikTok owner ByteDance and would be merged into a VR related business line.

Jason Ma, formerly the product director of Xiaomi‘s VR/AR unit, was confirmed to have left the company in 2019. He also established PoliQ, the operator of virtual social entertainment app “Vyou.” He still is the legal representative of the company.

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Within Vyou, users can create and characterize their own 2D virtual image, which can be used to make more friends. They can interact in the app including by taking pictures, playing games and creating new ideas together. The product was officially launched on November 21, 2020. It announced on March 11, 2022 that the app would officially cease operations and shut down servers on April 11 of this year.

When he was working at Xiaomi, Jason Ma said that from the perspective of mobile VR applications, especially in consumer scenarios, social features represent a very important link.