Snap Hires Facebook Executive to Lead Augmented-Reality Push

(Bloomberg) -- Snap Inc. is looking to do more with augmented reality -- the overlaying of digital effects and information on top of real-world views -- and it’s tapping a longtime Facebook Inc. executive to oversee the effort. 

Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, who spent nine years at Facebook, will become vice president of platform partnerships at Snap, the Santa Monica, California-based company said Thursday. In that role, he will help recruit more augmented-reality creators and encourage companies to incorporate Snap’s technology into their services. 

He held a similar role at Facebook, where he promoted its platform among tech businesses. 

He “has deep expertise in turning products into scaled platforms,” Ben Schwerin, Snap’s senior vice president of content and partnerships, said in a statement. We “look forward to working together to help partners around the world find creative ways to leverage Snap technology, including augmented reality and beyond.”

Snap, whose social network caters to users in their teens and 20s, has been a pioneer in augmented reality. The company began selling its Spectacles glasses in 2016 to let users see an enhanced version of reality while on the go. In recent months, Snap announced a partnership with the dating app Bumble to let users send their matches video notes with Snapchat AR products.

Snap has also teamed up with Walt Disney Co. to allow tourists at Walt Disney World to incorporate Snap AR experiences into their visit and photos.

AR and its more immersive cousin, virtual reality, have been a key focus for Facebook as well. On Thursday, the company launched a VR app that lets co-workers hold virtual meetings as avatar versions of themselves.

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