To start off our “Meet the Leadership Team” initiative, we would like to introduce John Mann, the Chief Technology Officer at Obsess. We asked John to share some highlights from his remarkable journey in the technology industry and some insights he’s gathered over the years. Here’s what he had to say:
Q. Could you share some highlights of your professional experience and how that path led you to Obsess today?
JM: Absolutely. My journey to Obsess was somewhat random. I had worked at a FinTech company three jobs prior, and during COVID, I was the CTO of two different companies simultaneously. When they decided to move in a different direction, I was let go and started job hunting. Through a network connection, I ended up building 5G networks and software for the government, which was completely outside of the retail space. However, I soon realized that wasn’t what I wanted to do—I missed the web development world and the startup environment.
That’s when I came across Obsess. Within a two-day window, I learned about retail, fashion and three.js, and I knew this was exactly what I wanted to pursue. My job search helped me realize what I didn’t want to do, and ultimately, it led me to Obsess, where I found the best engineering team I’ve ever worked with.
Before this, I worked at Microsoft for seven years, where I was involved in some significant projects like Xbox Live sign-up, Windows Live sign-up and even touched the Hotmail sign-up early in my career. I also worked on MSN internet access (yes, dial-up!) and had a brief stint at Getty Images, among other projects. After that, I fell in love with startups—working on everything from insurance to compliance software, travel advertisements and even parts management for planes. After trying corporate life post-Microsoft, I realized it wasn’t for me and have been in startups ever since.
Q. What initially inspired you to enter the tech space, and what continues to motivate you today?
JM: My initial inspiration came from a friend of mine. I’ve been coding since I was nine years old. I started with a Commodore VIC-20, then a Commodore 64, and coding became a hobby throughout high school and into college. A friend of mine, Donovan (I have to give him credit!), asked me why I wasn’t studying computer science. At that point, I didn’t think I could make a living coding, but when I realized it was a real job, I thought, “I’m going to write code whether I get paid or not—so why not get paid to do it?” Donovan even got me my first job out of college.
As for what continues to motivate me, it’s the constant learning process. For example, I’ve recently learned three.js and now work on 3D retail stores. Then, with the launch of Apple Vision Pro, I started exploring SwiftUI for its operating system. Each new tech stack excites me, and I love learning enough about it to teach it, which allows me to see its strengths and weaknesses. That passion for learning and teaching keeps me going.
Q. The launch of Apple Vision Pro was a huge moment for Obsess, developing the first-ever shopping apps on the device. How do you see the future of virtual reality and augmented reality evolving for brands, and what opportunities will this technology create, both in retail and beyond?
JM: I think the big advantage in the VR and AR world, is not just the information you’ll have access to in those spaces, it’s the virtual connections that you have—the social environment—and adding that to shopping. In Soho you see so many tourists, not shopping by themselves, but shopping with groups, and they like that social “Hey, what do you think of this?” “Do you like this outfit?” “Oh, let’s go to this store”. That social component is going to be so critical in the VR space, and the headsets actually allow you to emulate pretty closely, to be next to the person, and have that level of connection. I think that’s going to be huge. I think that’s the big future of shopping in the VR space.
Q. I can definitely see the social aspect transforming the shopping experience. Now, onto another hot topic—AI. How is Obsess currently integrating AI into its virtual experiences, and what are some key ways AI will shape the future of these experiences?
JM: We’re already using AI in several areas, from scene and store design to generating 3D models of products. We’re also working on AI-powered virtual store associates that interact with customers, offering personalized recommendations like, “Is this makeup right for me?” or “Does this dress suit me?”. The advancement of generative AI in the last year has been remarkable, making it 5 to 10 times better than it was just a year ago.
Looking forward, AI will shape experiences through faster generation and personalization. For instance, it could analyze shopping habits to make tailored product recommendations, similar to how Spotify personalizes music suggestions. Imagine a retail experience where AI recommends items based on your shopping history, preferences and trends—creating an entirely personalized experience. Of course, there are privacy concerns and compliance issues like GDPR and CCPA, but AI-driven personalization will be a game-changer in retail.
Q. Absolutely, personalization is going to be huge. Lastly, Obsess has worked with many leading brands across fashion, beauty, CPG and more, creating over 350 virtual experiences to date. Is there a particular experience or project that best showcases the technological strengths of the Obsess platform?
JM: There have been a lot of amazing projects, but one that stands out is Crate & Barrel. The realism we were able to achieve, from the store transitions to the rooftop views, and the ability to change scenes inside the store—it was remarkable. The way our platform managed the products, environments and interactions all came together seamlessly. Another highlight was our work on J.Crew’s app for Apple Vision Pro. That was one of the most complex and exciting projects I’ve ever worked on. The photorealistic environments, the ability to change outfits and interact with the mannequins—it was truly immersive. J.Crew on Apple Vision Pro was a whole new level, and despite being a brand-new operating system, we pulled it off with a lot of hard work and fun.
