Mark Zuckerberg says a future without smart glasses is ‘hard to imagine’
TL;DR
Mark Zuckerberg predicts AI smart glasses will become as ubiquitous as smartphones, with Meta's sales tripling in the past year. However, his optimistic outlook should be tempered by past metaverse hype, though major tech companies like Google, Apple, and Snap are also investing heavily in the category.
Key Takeaways
- •Meta is shifting focus from the metaverse to AI wearables, with Zuckerberg comparing smart glasses' potential to the smartphone revolution.
- •Sales of Meta's smart glasses tripled in the past year, though Zuckerberg's predictions should be viewed cautiously given past metaverse overhype.
- •Major tech players including Google, Apple, Snap, and OpenAI are all developing AI wearable devices, signaling industry-wide investment.
- •Meta currently leads the market with multiple smart glasses models, including Oakley-designed fitness glasses that represent a promising use case.
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.”
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Tickets are live! Save up to $680 while these rates last, and be among the first 500 registrants to get 50% off your +1 pass. TechCrunch Disrupt brings top leaders from Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, a16z, Hugging Face, and more to 250+ sessions designed to fuel growth and sharpen your edge. Connect with hundreds of innovative startups and join curated networking that drives deals, insights, and inspiration.
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.