Topics Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture More from TechCrunch Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Crunchboard Contact Us Mark Zuckerberg spoke about his ambitions for Meta’s AI smart glasses business during Meta’s Q4 2025 earnings call on Wednesday.After pivoting its Reality Labs investments away from the metaverse, Meta is doubling down on its production of AI wearables, as well as its own AI models.“Billions of people wear glasses or contacts for vision correction.
And I think that we’re at a moment similar to when smartphones arrived, and it was clearly only a matter of time until all those flip phones became smartphones,” Zuckerberg said.“It’s hard to imagine a world in several years where most glasses that people wear aren’t AI glasses.” He added that sales of Meta’s glasses tripled within the last year, and he believes that they’re “some of the fastest growing consumer electronics in history.” Take Zuckerberg’s outlook with a grain of salt.After all, he also thought that we would go to work and hang out with our friends in the metaverse — legs optional — and that didn’t work out.
But based on how tech’s biggest players are allocating their money and effort, it does seem like AI glasses are poised for a big moment, even if it’s not on the scale of the smartphone.Google is expected to launch a line of smart glasses this year, following a $150 million deal with Warby Parker.Apple is also reportedly planning to unveil smart glasses in the next year or two, moving some staff to that project instead of working on a lighter Vision Pro, according to Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, Snap announced Tuesday that it would spin its AR glasses, Specs, into a new subsidiary to allow for “greater operational focus and alignment.” Techcrunch event TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026: Tickets Live On June 23 in Boston, more than 1,100 founders come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling.Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry.Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages.
Walk away with tactics you can apply immediatelySave up to $300 on your pass or save up to 30% with group tickets for teams of four or more.TechCrunch Founder Summit: Tickets Live On June 23 in Boston, more than 1,100 founders come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling.Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry.
Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages.Walk away with tactics you can apply immediatelySave up to $300 on your pass or save up to 30% with group tickets for teams of four or more.Boston, MA | June 23, 2026 REGISTER NOW Even OpenAI, a company that has not yet ventured into hardware, is pursuing AI wearables, though it seems more focused on something like an AI pin or earbuds, rather than glasses.
Apple is also rumored to be working on an AirTag-sized AI device — though hopefully those efforts turn out better than the Humane AI pin.For now, Meta is leading the way in pushing smart glasses to market, with several different models already on sale.That includes Oakley smart glasses designed to be worn while exercising, which is the most promising use case we’ve personally seen for these devices thus far.
Topics AI, Gadgets, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, SMART Glasses Amanda Silberling Senior Writer Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture.She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider.She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J.
Kim.Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator.She holds a B.A.
in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos. You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal.View Bio X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct Tesla EarningsZooxMoltbotSnap SpecsAmazon GoTech LayoffsChatGPT TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite MapTerms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of ConductTesla EarningsZooxMoltbotSnap SpecsAmazon GoTech LayoffsChatGPT
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