Lululemon is making some management changes at Mirror.
Just one day after Nike Inc. accused Lululemon Athletica Inc. of patent infringement related to its at-home Mirror fitness device and other apps, the company has named Michael Aragon as CEO of Mirror and Lululemon Digital Fitness, effective Jan. 17. Aragon will report to Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald and takes over for Mirror founder Brynn Putnam who resigned from her role in September.
Aragon joins the athletic company from Amazon, where he has served for five years as chief content officer at Twitch, a live-streaming service that creates unique multi-player entertainment experiences. Under Aragon’s leadership, Twitch increased the number of creators using the platform from 1 million to 8 million and expanded into new content segments beyond gaming, leading to significant growth in the number of hours watched.
Previously, Aragon served as GM of VRV at Ellation, Inc., where he expanded programming and led the launch of a new digital service at the start-up prior to its acquisition by AT&T in 2017. And he spent more than a decade with the Sony Group Corporation, where he expanded the PlayStation Network beyond gaming, and managed the digital, music and original content services in more than 30 countries.
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“Mike Aragon has an impressive track record of building successful brands by connecting people and building communities through digital content and experiences,” said McDonald in a statement. “He is the ideal leader to chart the path forward for Mirror as we engage with the more than 10 million Lululemon guests who live the sweat life.”
This news comes one day after Nike filed a complaint in a U.S. District Court in Manhattan that alleged that Lululemon “summarily” rejected Nike’s demand to stop infringing on six patents. Nike seeks triple damages for the alleged infringement.
Part of Nike’s claim is based on a patent application that it filed in 1983 for a device that measures the speed, distance, time and calories expended for a runner as well as other patents on equipment, which it says Mirror infringes upon.
“The patents in question are overly broad and invalid,” a Lululemon spokesperson told FN on Wednesday. “We are confident in our position and look forward to defending it in court.”
Lululemon acquired in-home fitness startup Mirror for $500 million in 2020. The interactive mirror workout platform, which features live and on-demand classes, was considered a strong buy for Lululemon at the time, as more people turned to at-home workouts at the start of the pandemic.
