Now you can appear to be on a Zoom call in your office, even when you’re sipping a margarita in a hammock far, far away. Courtesy of a months-old startup called Pickle, its pitch is simple: submit a five-minute-long training video of yourself to create an avatar, and 24 hours later, ostensibly, you’re ready to go. Want to call from the car? It’ll be your secret. Too lazy to get out of bed? No problem. At a beach club? You’re probably pushing it, though judging by the demo video, that’s not the only kink to work out. (The service currently comes in basic, standard, and pro versions, ranging from $300 to $1,150 per year.)
Backed by the L.A. venture firm Krew Capital, the tech only works right now with MacOS, says Pickle, but a Windows version is said to be coming next month. As for the conferencing apps that customers can choose, these include Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams, per Pickle. You’ll have to wait to use them, though. According to its site, “due to high demand, clone generation is currently delayed.”