Google reportedly wants to steal the Ray-Ban partnership from Meta for its own Gemini glasses, but Mark Zuckerberg has a plan to stop it.
The revelation comes from The Verge's Alex Heath, citing "several people familiar with the matter" as saying Google approached EssilorLuxottica about putting its Gemini AI in future smart glasses.
EssilorLuxottica has a near monopoly on the eyewear market worldwide, and its brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley are among the most recognizable on the planet. In comparison, AI assistants like Meta AI and Gemini are becoming almost a commodity, with no company's model having a meaningful advantage over the rest of the industry.
That means EssilorLuxottica currently has all the leverage in its partnership with Meta that resulted in the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. EssilorLuxottica could theoretically swap out Meta AI for Google Gemini, or ChatGPT, and the product's value proposition would remain mostly the same. In contrast, Meta AI in glasses without the Ray-Ban design and marketing would be considerably less appealing.
David Heaney
Mark Zuckerberg has said on multiple occasions that Meta has seen huge demand for the Ray-Ban Meta glasses and the company is selling them as fast as it can make them. Heath reports Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth recently told staff they are "a much bigger hit than we anticipated."
Last week The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal reported Meta is exploring a multibillion-euro investment in EssilorLuxottica, representing a roughly 5% stake, which could help it wield influence in the company's decision-making on future smart glasses. Heath says his sources suggest Meta's investment is "likely" to go through, and that it's "extremely unlikely that Meta loses the partnership to Google".
It's possible that EssilorLuxottica could adopt a non-exclusive strategy though. In addition to Ray-Ban Meta glasses, we could see Ray-Ban Google Glasses too. But Mark Zuckerberg will likely be hoping his investment, if it goes through, kills that idea in the cradle.
