HoloLens 2

Project: HoloLens 2 - Microsoft’s flagship mixed‑reality headset designed for enterprise, industrial, and research applications. HoloLens 2 introduced major advancements in spatial computing, including fully articulated hand tracking, eye-tracking-driven UX, improved field of view, next-generation waveguide optics, and a custom silicon architecture optimized for real‑time holographic processing. The program required deep collaboration across hardware engineering, OS and platform teams, sensor and optics specialists, and enterprise solution partners to deliver a reliable, high-precision mixed-reality device for mission-critical environments.

Final Role / Title: Program Manager II (full time) - partnered with cross-functional engineering teams to provide platform validation and feature readiness for in-market HoloLens 2 support. Coordinated alignment across hardware, firmware, and software groups, validated system-level performance across sensors, tracking, and holographic rendering, and contributed to release-critical workflows ensuring that HoloLens 2 met Microsoft’s enterprise-grade quality, reliability, and user-experience standards.

What is the HoloLens 2?

HoloLens 2 is a combination waveguide and laser-based stereoscopic & full-color mixed reality smartglass augmented reality headset that is developed and manufactured by Microsoft and acts as a successor to the original Microsoft HoloLens. The HoloLens 2 released in 2019 with enterprise and developer variants of the device and has gone on to act as the core technology empowering bespoke spatial computing industry solutions for some of the top institutions in the world, such as the construction-focused XR10 model built in partnership with Trimble or the defense-focused I.V.A.S. model built in partnership with the US Army.

Key Features of the HoloLens 2:

  • Improved immersion, ergonomics, and business-friendliness

  • Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) 2.0

  • 52° Diagonal FOV

  • New Hardware Accelerated Workloads (I.e., Eye racking, Hand Tracking, Spatial Audio, etc.)

  • Improved Hologram Stability

Role & Responsibilities

  • Drove cross‑team operational workflows supporting iterative feature development and platform updates for HoloLens 2, maintaining a predictable monthly servicing pipeline and coordinating update delivery across hardware, firmware, and OS teams.

  • Enhanced reporting and alignment mechanisms across engineering, product, and leadership groups by improving visibility into in-market device health - covering active user metrics, KPI tracking, codeflow and engineering status, quality verification results, and customer sentiment insights.

  • Acted as a bridge between customer advocacy teams and engineering, translating enterprise customer needs, support escalations, and usage patterns into actionable platform improvements that contributed to increased device engagement and long-term activations.

  • Supported confidential strategic initiatives focused on shaping the future direction of the HoloLens platform, contributing to early-stage planning, cross-discipline exploration, and long-term vision setting for Microsoft’s mixed reality roadmap.

Challenges, Learnings, & Career Impact

Supporting HoloLens 2 in-market brought a distinct set of challenges rooted in the device’s enterprise focus and the complexity of its mixed reality technology stack. One of the most significant hurdles was aligning a wide network of engineering teams around the deliverables that would create the greatest impact for customers operating in mission-critical environments. With competing priorities across sensors, tracking, OS, and enterprise solution teams, driving clarity on what mattered most required constant cross-team orchestration, data-driven prioritization, and a deep understanding of real-world customer workflows.

Another major challenge involved modernizing our reporting structures so leadership had a clear, actionable view of the device’s health in the field. This meant rethinking how we tracked usage metrics, KPIs, customer sentiment, and engineering status to help build a reporting ecosystem that could reliably inform strategic decisions about where to invest next. Establishing this visibility helped shift the organization toward a more proactive, insight-driven approach to platform stewardship.

These experiences significantly shaped my growth as a technical program manager. Working on HoloLens 2 taught me how to drive alignment across highly specialized teams, how to translate customer needs into platform‑level priorities, and how to build reporting systems that empower leadership to make informed decisions. It also deepened my understanding of what it takes to support a cutting-edge mixed reality device in enterprise environments where reliability, clarity, and long-term value are paramount.

Where to get HoloLens 2

HoloLens 2 was originally released by Microsoft in early 2019 (current availability may vary).

HoloLens 2 - Links & Media