On April 219 Moons Chinese entrepreneur Luo Yonghao announced multiple job openings via Weibo, focusing on AI product managers and large language model algorithm engineers, following earlier hardware team layoffs. Recent reports have said Thin Red Line laid off its entire hardware division earlier this year, retaining a small team of about 20 software engineers to focus on AI development. Launched in 2022, Thin Red Line originally concentrated on AR technologies, particularly operating systems and smart glasses. The company raised $50 million in an angel round led by Meituan’s investment arm, achieving a valuation of around $200 million. Luo Yonghao’s company partnered with firms like SeeYA to develop optical display systems and released its first AR glasses prototype in 2023. However, the device was plagued by issues such as excessive weight and limited scalability. The AR OS remained incomplete, leading to growing speculation about a potential pivot, which has now come about. [Jiemian, in Chinese]
