Find Anything In Any Building Using AR, Without Downloading an App — Caspar Thykier & Connell Gauld

Find Anything In Any Building Using AR, Without Downloading an App — Caspar Thykier & Connell Gauld

Author: Charlie Fink Productions May 5, 2026 Duration: 50:48
The AI XR Podcast had a massive news week and one of its best guest conversations of the year. Caspar Thykier and Connell Gauld, CEO and CTO co-founders of Zappar, joined Charlie Fink and Ted Schilowitz to talk about something deceptively simple: helping people find stuff. Zappar's new product, Spaces, is app-free indoor navigation built on the web. QR code or link in a meeting invite — your phone shows AR breadcrumbs to the nearest restroom, the right meeting room, the hospital ward three floors away. No app download. No specific hardware. No Azure dependency. Caspar put the pitch simply: it's fundamentally just helping people find stuff. Connell's vision: the same technology running in glasses indistinguishable from a regular pair, within four to five years. AI XR News: Elon Musk's $135 billion lawsuit against OpenAI went to trial in Berkeley. OpenAI's IPO may be pushed to 2027 over its CFO reporting structure and $600B CapEx problem. Meta is laying off 20% of its staff in two waves. Google earnings were up 10% while Meta got punished. Freepik rebranded as Magnifi with $230M ARR and a million paid subscribers. Samsung announced displayless AI smart glasses. Google partnered with Gucci for another AI glasses play. And Google put $40 billion into Anthropic. Key Moments:[00:03:02] Elon vs. Sam: the $135 billion trial[00:05:09] OpenAI's IPO in jeopardy — CFO structure and $600B CapEx[00:07:12] Meta's 20% layoffs and Charlie's read on bad CEO behavior[00:10:32] Freepik becomes Magnifi: $230M ARR, a million subscribers[00:13:10] Samsung Galaxy XR and Google x Gucci smart glasses[00:15:15] Google puts $40B into Anthropic — a cloud play[00:21:06] Spaces: turn-by-turn AR indoor navigation, no app required[00:41:13] 16 years in XR: how Zappar survived by being the cockroach Brought to you by Zappar, the company behind Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for immersive 3D web experiences. Start building at mattercraft.io. Watch the Full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HmOXA4HgBmo Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by Charlie Fink, with regular voices like Ted Schilowitz and Rony Abovitz, The AI XR Podcast goes beyond the headlines to explore the human stories shaping artificial intelligence and extended reality. This isn't a series of dry tech lectures. Instead, you'll hear unfiltered conversations with the people who were actually in the room-founders of pioneering companies, former executives from giants like Google DeepMind and Meta Reality Labs, and the creative minds behind tools like Unity and Apple Vision Pro. Each episode feels like a candid discussion, pulling back the curtain on how these technologies are built, the real business challenges faced, and their unexpected impacts on entertainment and industry. The podcast thrives on access, featuring interviews with startup CEOs navigating the current landscape, researchers pushing the boundaries of AI, and Hollywood directors applying these tools in new ways. It’s a direct line to the veterans and visionaries defining our digital future. For anyone curious about the convergence of virtual worlds and intelligent machines, this is an essential listen, offering context and clarity from those who have helped build it all. Charlie Fink Productions brings these nuanced talks to life, making complex topics relatable and deeply engaging.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The AI XR Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The AI/XR Podcast June 11th, 2025. AWE *LIVE* 245th episode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:10
*Warning* Bad sound quality - apologies! In this special live edition of the AI/XR Podcast from Augmented World Expo (AWE) 2025, hosts Charlie Fink and Ted Schilowitz are joined by returning guests from Zappar, co-founde…