Grit

#203 CEO Niantic, John Hanke: Buried Ships

Aug 12, 2024

01:09:17

Snipd AI

John Hanke, the CEO of Niantic, played a crucial role in the phenomenon of Pokémon Go, which earned $100 million in its first week. He reflects on the initial anxiety surrounding the game's success, fearing it might be too good to last. The conversation touches on the evolution of augmented reality, the challenges of sustaining user engagement, and the emotional journey of entrepreneurship. Hanke also shares insights on balancing work with family life and the future of gaming technology, highlighting the role of innovation in delivering extraordinary experiences.

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Quick takeaways

Niantic's inception as a skunkworks project within Google showcased its aim to create meaningful user engagement through augmented reality technologies.

Pokémon Go's explosive success illustrated the potential for games to foster physical activity and social connections, reshaping community engagement.

The transition from Google to an independent company posed significant challenges, emphasizing the team's courage in pursuing a high-risk entrepreneurial vision.

Deep dives

The Genesis of Niantic

The company Niantic was originally conceived as a skunkworks project within Google, spearheaded to explore augmented reality applications and wearable computing. The name 'Niantic' was inspired by a buried ship in San Francisco, reflecting a connection to technology that reveals hidden aspects of the world. This initiative began with the vision of creating technology that helps users engage more meaningfully with their environments. Influenced by a commitment to innovation and user experience, the core team left the comfort of Google to embrace a mission that was perceived as meaningful and impactful.

Intro

2min

Mapping the Future: A Personal Journey

5min

The Meteoric Rise of Pokémon Go and Its Challenges

3min

From Google to Niantic: The Birth of AR Gaming

24min

Navigating the Launch of a Global Gaming Phenomenon

21min

The Future of Gaming and AR Technology

11min

Celebrating Resilience and Entrepreneurial Spirit

2min

Guest: John Hanke, CEO of Niantic

When Pokémon Go launched, Niantic CEO John Hanke was enjoying a tranquil walk through a bamboo forest near Kyoto with his son. When he got back, it was all hands on deck: Building on a platform Niantic had developed for its previous game, Ingress, Pokémon Go was a runaway success story, earning $100 million dollars in revenue in its first week, and $1 billion in its first seven months. “I had a huge amount of anxiety that this is just too good to be true,” John recalls. “When are the wheels going to come off? What’s going to go wrong?”

In this episode, John and Joubin discuss San Francisco’s history, Noam Bardin, Google Street View, David Lawee, AR glasses, Field Trip and Ingress, Tsunekazu Ishihara, gaming outside, Gilman Louie, Frank Slootman, mellowing out, Thomas Kurian, Jay Chaudhry, commute burnout, daily yoga, Xerox PARC, Mark Zuckerberg, Apple Vision Pro, the history of gaming, and talking to computers.

Chapters:

(02:17) - Waze and Google Maps
(05:39) - John’s childhood heroes
(07:38) - Pokémon Go’s first week
(10:13) - Maps as a platform
(13:56) - Spinning Niantic off of Google
(17:36) - Hyperscaling
(19:05) - Finding Niantic’s mission
(22:45) - Startups and families
(24:15) - Adrenaline and gas
(30:17) - Drive without desperation
(34:42) - Negotiating with the Pokémon Company
(38:25) - Zero to a million
(41:28) - Relief and responsibility
(43:44) - Sustaining engagement
(47:18) - Enjoying the ride more
(50:57) - Rules for balance
(55:42) - Augmented reality and wearables
(01:01:38) - Social games
(01:04:14) - LLMs and the voice UI
(01:06:52) - Who Niantic is hiring

Links:

Connect with John

Connect with Joubin

Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

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