Meta Has Already Won the Smart Glasses Race

"At Meta's Q2 2025 earnings call at the end of July, Mark Zuckerberg didn't hold back. "If you don't have glasses that have AI," he warned, "you're probably going to be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people." Forget smartphones. According to Zuck, the real interface of the future is what's sitting on your nose. These AI-powered specs, he argues, will "see what we see, hear what we hear, and talk to us" in real time-offering a kind of digital copilot for everyday life."

"Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses -built in collaboration with eyewear juggernaut EssilorLuxottica-have become a surprise hit. Since launching the second generation in October 2023, they've sold more than 2 million units. Sales tripled in Q2 2025 alone, helping drive Meta's 22 percent year-over-year revenue growth. Zuckerberg has reportedly challenged teams to push that figure to 5 million by year's end."

"With the ad business plateauing and VR still mostly a money pit, smart glasses are emerging as a rare hardware product people might actually want. That likely explains the company's decision to go all in by acquiring an approximately 3 percent equity stake in EssilorLuxottica, which, in addition to Ray-Ban, also makes Oakley, Persol, and Prada glasses, plus many more. It's a transaction that has been valued at $3.5 billion-a move that formally makes Meta a strategic minority shareholder and elevates it beyond its prior role as a technology partner."

Mark Zuckerberg positioned AI-enabled smart glasses as the next major computing interface capable of seeing, hearing, and speaking in real time. Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, developed with EssilorLuxottica, have sold over 2 million units since the second-generation launch and saw sales triple in Q2 2025, contributing to 22 percent year-over-year revenue growth. Leadership set a target of 5 million units. Meta acquired roughly a 3 percent equity stake in EssilorLuxottica for about $3.5 billion, becoming the company's second-largest shareholder and gaining deeper access to manufacturing, retail distribution, and manufacturing expertise. The investment builds a strategic moat and launchpad, positioning Meta ahead of Google and Apple in AI eyewear.

Read at WIRED