An executive from Pixar Animation Studios has joined Linden Lab to help revitalize its Second Life virtual world program. Howard Look has been appointed senior vice president of customer applications and will be in charge of upcoming Second Life improvements and added features.
Look most recently served as vice president of software for Pixar and is credited with helping develop its world-famous filmmaking system. His resume also includes a stint at TiVo, where he was vice president of application software and user experience. He played a “key role in defining TiVo’s functionality and user experience,” his bio states. Prior to TiVo, he led the Silicon Graphics team that built the world’s first VRML-based 3D workstation. Not too shabby.
Linden Lab isn’t revealing any specifics yet about what sorts of changes could be coming. The Second Life company does say, however, it intends to make its virtual world “more accessible to more people by making it easier to use, more intuitive, and more joyful.”
This is Linden Lab’s second big name hire in recent months. The company snagged former AOL exec Frank Ambrose as its senior VP of global technology in August. Ambrose was hired to work on expanding the Second Life network.
Linden Lab is based in San Francisco.
