Mark Zuckerberg wants Meta’s latest AI glasses to be more than just a gadget.
The challenge for Meta CEO is not to cram more AI into frames, but to make glasses that people actually want to wear.
In an interview with Feed Me creator Emily Sandberg, Zuckerberg sounded more like a fashion designer than a Silicon Valley executive.
“I think there’s a range of styles, amounts of features, and price points,” Zuckerberg said. “But the challenge is that each needs to hit the sweet spot of looking good, feeling good and being functional.”
“I’m pretty involved in everything we build,” Zuckerberg added.
Meta Inc. on Tuesday announced a new line of smart glasses starting at $299, cheaper than the company’s entry-level Ray-Ban glasses, as it ramps up its focus on wearable technology. The new glasses were developed in collaboration with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, but do not include Ray-Ban or Oakley branding.
Zuckerberg said working on smart glasses exposed him to a different set of priorities than the software world. Through Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica, he said he learned about “how they build their brand, how they design, and what they feel is important.”
The CEO of Meta developed his own interest in fashion from Adidas slides, which he says were his favorite item in the ’10s.
Mr. Zuckerberg (right) and Mr. Dustin Moskowitz (left). Zuckerberg was wearing Adidas slides. Justin Hunt/Boston Globe via Getty Images
“I think the future is going to be a variety of wearable platforms fused with fashion,” Zuckerberg said.
For Zuckerberg, the future of AI hardware may have to look more like runway fashion than gaming accessories, and that mindset is increasingly shaping Meta’s wearable ambitions as rivals like Google and Snap race to develop AI-powered eyewear. For example, Snap’s new AI glasses were launched in early June and immediately received backlash online for being expensive and clunky.
Zuckerberg added, “And the key in any of these is that it needs to be something that you’re proud to wear, whether it’s on your wrist or your face or whatever, and it needs to be comfortable.”