Jaron Lanier is an American computer scientist, visual artist, author of computer philosophy, futurist, and composer of modern classical music. Lanier is widely regarded as a forerunner of virtual reality technology. In 1985, he left Atari to co-found VPL Research, Inc with Thomas G. Zimmerman, the first company to sell virtual reality spectacles and wired gloves.
Quick Facts
| Celebrated Name: | Jaron Lanier |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Jaron Zepel Lanier |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 63 years old |
| Birth Date: | 3 May 1960 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, US |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 1.87m |
| Weight: | 78kgs |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse (Name): | Lena Lanier |
| Children/Kids (Son and Daughter): | Yes (Lillibell Lanier) |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): | N/A |
| Is Jaron Lanier Gay?: | No |
| Profession: | Computer Scientist, Composer, Visual Artist and Author |
| Salary: | $32,000 per month |
| Net Worth in 2024: | $6 Million |
Jaron Lanier Biography
Jaron Lanier was born in New York City on May 3, 1960, but raised in Messila, New Mexico. Jaron Lanier’s mother survived a Nazi concentration camp in Vienna, and his father’s family fled Ukraine to avoid the massacres. When he was nine years old, his mother died in an accident.
He lived in tents for a long time with his father before embarking on a seven-year project to design and build a geodesic dome dwelling. Lanier was 13 years old when he was accepted as a student at New Mexico State University.
He finished his graduate studies at NMSU and was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to investigate mathematical notation, which led him to learn computer programming.
From 1979 to 1980, Lanier’s NSF-funded research at NMSU focused on “digital graphical simulations for learning.” During this time, Lanier attended art school in New York before returning to New Mexico to work as a midwife’s assistant. Lanier was given a car by the father of a baby he helped deliver, which he then drove to Santa Cruz.
Jaron Lanier Age, Height, Weight
Jaron Lanier was born on May 3, 1960, and is 63 years old as of 2024. His height is 1.87 m, and he weighs 78 kg.
Career
Jaron Lanier is an American computer scientist, visual artist, author of computer philosophy, futurist, and composer of modern classical music. Lanier is widely regarded as a forerunner of virtual reality technology.
In 1985, he left Atari to co-found VPL Research, Inc with Thomas G. Zimmerman, the first company to sell virtual reality spectacles and wired gloves.
In the late 1990s, Lanier worked on Internet2 applications, and in the 2000s, he was a visiting scientist at Silicon Graphics and several colleges. He began working for Microsoft in 2006 and was promoted to an interdisciplinary scientist at Microsoft Research in 2009.
As a former employee of Microsoft and Atari, Mr. Lanier is also known for his work on Virtual Reality as it relates to both technology and art. In the 1980s, he began working with VPL Research, where he invented the first. This is the beginning of Jaron Lanier’s net worth increasing over time.
In 1997, Jaron Lanier was the lead network and services scientist at the Internet2 office. With his work on the National Tele-immersion Initiative, he was also the project’s primary scientist. He resigned from this position four years later, in 2001.
From 2001 to 2004, he was a visiting scientist at Silicon Graphics Inc., where he worked on telepresence and tele-immersion problems.
Telepresence makes people feel as if they are physically present in another location, whereas tele-immersion allows you to completely immerse yourself in another person as if you were that person. The best way to demonstrate this topic would be through virtual reality.
Lanier is a rare instrument collector and composer of modern classical music. His acoustic CD, Instruments of Change (1994), features Asian wind and string instruments such as the khene harmonica, suling flute, and sitar-like esraj. Lanier collaborated with Mario Grigorov on the music for the documentary film The Third Wave (2007).
Jaron Lanier Achievements and Awards
Jaron has had numerous professional accomplishments, including being named one of the 100 most influential public thinkers by Foreign Policy in 2005. In 2010, Lanier was named to TIME’s list of the 100 Most Influential People.
Lanier was named one of the world’s 50 most influential intellectuals by Prospect magazine in 2014. In 2018, Wired named Lanier one of the 25 most influential people in technology history over the previous 25 years.
Jaron Lanier’s Net Worth in 2024
Jaron Lanier’s net worth is estimated to be $6 million as of March 2024. This is due to the fortunes he has amassed throughout his professional career as a computer scientist who has influenced the computer industry. He has played an important role in the development of virtual reality, earning him a lot of fame throughout his career.
Jaron Lanier is one of the most well-known computer scientists due to his dedication to his work. The sales of virtual reality have also helped him advance in his career, making him one of the most sought-after computer scientists.
Jaron Lanier Wife, Marriage
Jaron Lanier is a happily married man who has tied the knot with his wife, Lena Lanier. Lena is a child psychologist who lives in Berkeley, California, with his husband Lanier. They have one daughter, Lillibell Lanier, who was born in their union.
