United StatesRony Abovitz
Holds a BS in mechanical engineering and an MS in biomedical engineering from the University of Miami, where his background in biomedical engineering informed study of how the brain turns light signals from the eye into images. Founded MAKO Surgical Corp., a company manufacturing surgical robotic arm assistance platforms, in 2004, which was acquired by Stryker Corporation in 2013 for $1.65B. Starting out of his garage in 2010, Abovitz worked on Magic Leap at night whilst still working at MAKO during the day. Was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum for his work on computer-assisted technologies for minimally invasive surgery. Founded Magic Leap, a company that specializes in augmented reality devices, and was its CEO from its founding in 2010. In May 2020, amid financial strife for the company, stepped down from his position. Former employees described his leadership as deeply visionary but noted his "difficulty making concessions to reality" when scaling the company.
