I’ve had the enormous pleasure of speaking with Christopher Lafayette, one of the most esteemed members of our XR community. He’s mostly active on Linkedin and has always worked in VR considering not the technology, but the human and all the collectivity at the center of his vision. I wanted to speak with him about this human-centric vision, and all the big work he’s doing towards inclusion and accessibility in the VR ecosystem. He has a point of view on the XR ecosystem I think it’s great you could learn more about.
Hello Christopher, can you introduce yourself to my readers?
Hi, I’m Christopher Lafayette, founder of the Black Technology Mentorship Program.
I’m also an emergent technologist in virtual and augmented reality, medtech, climate, and applied sciences here in Silicon Valley. I’m working for a more equitable culture in technology serving as a Silicon Valley national and international speaker, thought leader, and culture & inclusion advocate.
I’m happy to be with you all today.
You are very active in the XR ecosystem and you are following many projects. Can you tell us what you are working on at the moment?
I’ve enjoyed being active in this particular technology space for some time. Over the years, I’ve seen a steady growth of emerging XR technologies reintroducing themselves to markets. Many startups had tremendous ideas but entered the market much too early.
I’m now seeing similar platforms launch and have entered the space greeted with much success. The key areas I’m currently focused on and am exceedingly happy to contribute towards their growth are Medical XR and Virtual & Augmented Reality for common and Global good.
Let’s start with the Black Technology Mentorship Program. What is it about?
Almost firstly, it’s a really great program led by seriously awesome people. The Black Technology Mentorship Program is a mentor mentee program that inspires, educates, and brings underserved Black communities into technology. Natively BTMP began in Silicon Valley.
We operate virtually on an international scale. We’ve built the necessary processes and infrastructure to effectively communicate to our mentee and mentor cohorts, as well as run our internal team operations. All one really needs is WiFi, a mobile or desktop device, and a willingness to participate.
The importance of efficient remote work has never been higher for companies and organizations. Our social enterprise has scaled during this past year. Globally, we span across 6 continents, 24 countries, and over 171 cities and counting.
Why do you think that there is the need for a program that targets specifically black people?
So here I am, an African-American. Wait, here I am, a black man in America. Wait, here I sit talking, writing, Christopher Lafayette, a black man in Silicon Valley.
I could tell you stories and write for weeks about the conscious and unconscious biases and the implicit and explicit biases that I and others deal with almost every single day. Could tell you the faces of so many people that walk past me or by me that don’t look like me. How many stages have I spoken on, in front of groups of hundreds and even thousands of people with barely any black people in the audience. How many people that look like me that share the story of doing their level best to be hired in Silicon Valley; they want to work in Apple, Google, NASA, Cisco, Oculus, NVIDIA, and more… all of these companies – they want to work at – companies that claim to be so cool and fun to be a part of, whom’s products we use every day and we see their commercials, knowingly, that we aren’t the ones that help build it.
Old Silicon Valley. That’s not the Silicon Valley I’m proud to work in.
My Silicon Valley is more Melanin Valley and a place where everyone can win. I want children, youth, and teens of all backgrounds to be inspired to know that their parents are working in this great big massive land and that they can build in tech as well, anywhere in the
world. I want companies to hire people that look like me that come from cities countries like east Oakland, Baltimore, Compton, Atlanta, Brazil, Detroit, Brooklyn, Nairobi, Zimbabwe, Johannesburg, New Orleans, and more.
Have you ever walked into a crowded building and no one looked like you? Have you ever walked down a bustling street and no one looked like you? Have you ever driven around whole cities and not a single person looked like you?
Welcome to Silicon Valley.
Do you think there are problems with inclusion also in the XR ecosystem?
Yes, of course. Accessibility is a major concern. Also, multicultural inclusivity is an even bigger situation that the XR industry is confronted with. We as platform discoverers and makers have collectively not done a great job in educating those outside our industry of exactly what this technology is, what it does and what it can be used for. There are many pioneers that were building these technologies decades ago that will tell you that a lot of the newer generation hasn’t even begun to expand and embark upon the great depths of what XR technology can do and the impact it can have on society as a whole.
Our industry has a deficiency issue when it comes to ageism, color, women, and our disabled community members. Inclusivity isn’t just about what someone looks like. It’s also about listening to what people have said and are saying.
How can people join yout Black Mentorship Program? I mean, both as mentors and as mentees?
Currently, all of our mentees and mentors enroll through this website: https://www.christopherlafayette.com/btmp/
Our mentors are professionals within a variety of industries, though mainly in technology. Our mentees come from different cities, backgrounds, and cultures. Though the majority of BTMP students are located in North America. We also have great representation from Africa, South America, and Europe.
Let’s talk about development, now. You like to always put humans at the center of your work. Do you think it is the case in most of the XR experiences that there are on the market?
This is a really good question because the answer is no. But, before the reader renders my answer negatively, it’s not necessarily the fault of industry developers and creatives that often unknowingly build without humanity or even the human body itself into greater consideration within their production. Part of this is because we as thought-contributors have not interacted enough with the development community to convey the manifold benefits and necessities of harmonizing our experiences toward specifically directed hyper experiences that are relatable to end users.
We speak more on hardware capabilities, financial possibilities, and who’s launched the so-called latest and greatest technology more so than on the actual intangible immersive experiences themselves. I put so much of this responsibility on the leaders of our industry who, to me, lack the intimate experience of true artistic understanding, environmental and contextual fidelity of perception.
On the other side, there are several true experts in our space whom I’ve met face to face that many rarely hear from, that are inherently true students of understanding spatial XR. It’s these women and men who are desperately needed in product delivery teams. Over the years I’ve learned from many. I’ve been a student of several technologies and liberal arts for decades, raised by a parent in technology, and I know authenticity when I read, see and hear it.
How can we design XR experiences that put humans first?
Every great experience begins with a story and art. Sketches of the imagination. Back to the first principles of colors, textures, and light incorporating greatness in pre-production… it’s taking the stories of people and listening to them.. documenting with artisan approach to bringing their words into three-dimensional landscapes.
By anatomically better understanding the true movement of the human body, the sway and moveability of environments, and keen listening of engineered sound and music composition. To STOP and ask yourselves: “What are we building ?”
To consider, if you only had one more experience in life to build, just one more, what would it be?… and most would reach into the depths of their hearts and produce such a result that would resonate with so many people… then there, there you will find a demonstration of human-centric relatability in content.
It’s not a mechanism nor it is a practice of quantification… It is a work of inspiration.
Do you have some examples of some good experiences in this sense?
Yes. Yes, I do. These are some of the very things we’re focusing on with the Virtual World Society and areas I’ve been exploring for some time. I am fond of many that I personally know who builds with such vigor and compassion.
But I think it will be rude for me to only name a few… when I know much more than a few. There are several in Europe whose work I greatly admire. There are large teams that are focused on these approaches. Our friends at Laval, Stereopsia, and VR Days are part of those who I believe are making the attempt to push human inspiration into impactful XR.
The theme of universal access is of paramount importance in our future society. Will XR and 5G help more in bridging the distance and in reducing the inequalities in the world, or nothing will change?
It’s already helping. The singular greatest feature of extended reality is connectivity. There are people training, learning, speaking, and educating together in virtual reality. Whilst at the same time, products are being made more showcase-ready, intimately available in augmented reality. Contrary to considered belief, there are communities of color-building platforms in XR. Candidly, women and communities of color have been contributing to this technology for decades, often implicitly and explicitly silenced and ignored of our contributions.
You are a very well-known person in the XR community. How have you managed in reaching such a big network?
I’ve been in technology and liberal arts for over twenty years. I’ve come to know a lot of people. I’ve worked in many industries: music, health wellness, food, film, design, sports, education, and more…
I’ve taken time to study emerging technologies, including XR. I’ve spent over ten years specifically dedicated to artisan and inspirational design fundamentals. To understand XR is to understand technologies that have and will intercede with it, ecologically.
How can we really “build together”? I think everyone says it in the XR ecosystem, but actually, we are still too fragmented…
Years ago I began building the conceptual hacker road in which all stakeholders of technology are connected, trans metropolitan, and all smaller geo-centered spaces in between. To accomplish greater connectivity of building together in XR is to have more organizations, events, and contributors to the industry to have a more colloquial sense of direction in every vertical subject embarked upon.
I frankly think the beginning process should and could start with every major and minor XR event platform coming together for a single event with common aims and objectives chiefly laid out and actionable steps expressed at the event itself.
We should also have universal standards set for safety and accessibility in which the majority of companies and overall XR contributors would support. One of the biggest hurdles is that many groups have vastly different understandings of ethical standards. But we must start somewhere. I know almost every major leader and see hundreds of new aspiring future leaders, that, if brought together could instigate constructive and impactful change in the XR ecosystem.
Alas, there is too much competition in this industry where so many people want to be the leader of the whole assembly. Which is the wrong way of thinking. XR leadership begins with servant leadership, vulnerability, open mindedness and not exclusive to one… but to many. This industry is being led by many. No matter the color, no matter the gender.
Can you tell us some lessons that you’ve learned in your life and that could help the people reading this interview?
Every great platform begins with a thought and should be met with brilliant design.
Your interactive goal has always been in front of you. Look around at the natural function and activity of life in all its vibrancy including your own body and there you will see the benchmark that’s been set to meet. Though we’ll never obtain such a feat, we should still build with an appreciation in value what the natural design of Earth, the universe, and all that inhabits therein shows, reflects, and harmoniously operates.
And what advice would you give to aspiring XR entrepreneurs?
Characters and environments should be complementary to one another. The Marriagalization of colors and monochromatic hues are often understated, yet, it is the finery of XR visual perception.
The trek of an entrepreneur is long. You have to be patient.
The Trek of an entrepreneur is often unforgiving. You must be vigilant.
The trek of an entrepreneur is a voyage. It is much longer than you might think.
The Trek of an entrepreneur is… you’ll fill in the blank.
The track to becoming a pioneer is many things that you will never know for certain what it will be for you. Until the day that you step foot, on the pioneering path.
I was listening to commentary about the arduous journey of explorers like Lewis and Clark, Ponce De Leon, Sacagawea, and others, who, rolled the dice, were uncertain of their future, sought a new world, and landed… Though not as extreme, this is a lot like business.
When we met, you told me that Silicon Valley is the innovating heart of the US. Can you tell to us non-Americans what makes the Valley so special? What happens there?
I’ve stated before that, fundamentally Silicon Valley has a heritage that adheres to strong design principles, process development, and product refinement.
I often chuckle at the cities and countries who tell themselves they’re the “next Silicon Valley”. Firstly, they should embrace their own unique native culture, wherever they are. Secondly, Silicon Valley builds with history in tow. We’ve been doing this for over 80 years +, we produce great technology because we’ve been failing for years.
A lot of things you see available in the market that have been produced here in the Bay Area are ideas that were conceived long ago. Most of these ideas either failed in troughs of disillusionment and eventually found their way to the plateaus of productivity. Shout out to Gartner’s hype cycle.
What are your future perspectives?
On life?
Be mindful of the time that’s given. Every moment is precious.
In business?
In the Covid era, much and more has changed. Yet, XR has moved only a little, in the public eye. Yet, to the eyes of those who build it, the new race was set forth in the month of March 2020. For decades, we’ve always known for technology to disrupt technology. For new things to supersede old and that obsolesces will naturally take its place. However, we’ve never seen a pandemic disrupt technology.
In XR, communication, education, retail, health wellness, medical training, and sports are the key industries to observe.
Anything else to add to this interview?
Thank you for spending time with me again. I did enjoy the time we were able to spend in Brussels about a month before the pandemic began. I’ve seen your growth over many years and continue to appreciate your contribution and leadership to our XR industry.
We’re building together. Insieme, insieme.
I really thank Christopher for these amazing words: he has a completely different point of view from mine (I’m a techie), and I have learned a lot myself from his words, both in this interview, and when we talked privately during these weeks. I hope that you all have learned something new too and that we all will listen to his invitation to “build together” for a community that listens to the needs of all human beings, no matter the gender, the religion, the skin color, and what they put on their pizzas (even if as an Italian, I’m often triggered about this topic :D).
Before leaving you, I invite you to check out Christopher LaFayette’s Black Mentorship Program and subscribe to it. Also, at Awe Nite Florence we are also considering building together with Christopher, and if you want, you can register on our MeetUp page. LET’S BUILD TOGETHER! Insieme. 一起。