Mission Critical with Lance Chung

Matt McGowan (General Manager, Snap Inc. Canada): Was Pokémon Go Onto Something or What?

24 Feb 2022

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The year is 2016 and a new phenomenon has thrown the world into an absolute tizzy. People are out in the streets, running into traffic, and flocking to seemingly random destinations. They are zombies attached to their phones on a singular mission to catch them all. And what exactly are they looking to capture? Pokémon. If we rewind and look past the pandemic, you might remember the sheer frenzy that Pokémon Go sent the world into. Shortly after launching, it was almost impossible to avoid the topic entirely as friends, family, and colleagues became consumed in their quest to capture as many pokemon as possible. It was an instant hit that saw app downloads soar to the top of the charts, its popularity is driven largely by a mix of nostalgia and novelty. Unlike other video games, Pokémon Go harnessed the power of augmented reality (or AR) to offer users a heightened real-world experience. While it can be argued that Pokémon Go drove AR into mainstream popularity, the technology has actually been around for a while now. According to the Harvard Business Review, we saw the first commercial application of AR in 2008 when German advertising agencies used the technology to market a BMW Mini. Since then, it’s likely that you’ve used AR in your own experience as well, whether as a Pokémon Go user, viewing real estate listings, trying on a pair of glasses, or placing a filter over your face on a social media platform. The opportunities are endless not only for the end-user, but for the companies that operate directly within the space. Snap Inc is one of them. Joining Lance on today’s episode is Matt McGowan, general manager of Snap Inc. Canada, which bills itself as the “leader in Augmented Reality” and owns Snapchat, Spectacles, Bitmoji, and Zenly. In today’s episode, Matt joins Lance to talk about building community through technology, what the big deal is about AR anyway, and more.

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13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

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12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

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Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

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Mission Critical with Lance Chung

Matt McGowan (General Manager, Snap Inc. Canada): Was Pokémon Go Onto Something or What?

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other recent transcribed episodes

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

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