Bending Facts

It is rarely good for a start-up company to bend facts about its technology.  That, however, is the case with Magic Leap, an augmented reality business that purports to have artificial images blend with real-life.  Think of a tiny elephant being held in the palm of one’s hand.  Magic Leap is apparently behind in developing its technology for either business or consumer use.  It is getting by with a huge venture capital investment and with spin — telling everybody how disruptive the technology will be when perfected.  Meanwhile, it continues to make YouTube videos that use its technology, except in one case a fabrication that it used for recruiting engineers.  Part of the company’s problem is that it chose a fiber optic system that it can’t get to work.  That is always a peril of a start-up.  Magic Leap is apparently secretive about its work, but putting out videos of its success without backup is not a good sign.  Maybe venture capitalists are used to this approach, but it ought to give potential investors the willies.