Jaron Lanier

Jaron Lanier is an American computer scientist, author, and digital philosopher best known as a pioneer of virtual reality technology. In the 1980s, he founded VPL Research, one of the first companies to commercialize VR hardware and software, establishing foundational concepts and applications that shaped the field for decades.

Beyond VR, Lanier has become a prominent public intellectual critiquing the social and economic harms of surveillance capitalism and algorithmic control. His books, including *You Are Not a Gadget* (2010) and *Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now* (2018), argue that current digital platforms concentrate power, diminish human agency, and extract value from users without fair compensation. He advocates for alternative models like "data dignity" and has influenced policy discussions around tech regulation and digital rights.

Lanier's work bridges technical expertise and humanistic philosophy, making him a key voice in debates about technology's role in society, the future of work in an automated economy, and the need to center human flourishing over algorithmic optimization.

Jaron Lanier is an American computer scientist and VR pioneer who founded VPL Research in the 1980s, creating early commercial virtual reality systems. Since the 2000s, he has become a prominent technology critic and digital philosopher, authoring influential books that challenge surveillance capitalism and advocate for humane technology design. His work bridges technical innovation and humanistic values, making him central to contemporary debates about technology's social impact.