Warby Parker to Launch Smart Glasses With Google

On Tuesday, Warby Parker announced a partnership with Google to develop a line of “intelligent eyewear,” which is set to debut after 2025, although the company didn’t give an official timeline.

The digitally-native eyewear maker will couple its signature designs with Google’s Android XR technology to create glasses with multimodal AI — which can process data across video, images, text and audio.

As part of the collaboration, Google will front as much as $75 million toward product development and bringing the goods to market, along with an additional investment in Warby Parker of up to $75 million. Google is also partnering with Gentle Monster and Kering’s eyewear division on a line of smart glasses that will use its XR technology.

The partnership comes as rival Ray-Ban has beefed up its partnership with Meta on a line of smart eyewear and even collaborated with high-fashion brands like Coperni. Last summer, it was reported that Meta is also considering buying a stake in Ray-Ban parent company EssilorLuxottica.

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Eyewear’s Disruption by Smart Glasses May Have Already Begun

Meta is widely expected to unveil its first augmented-reality glasses this week, but it’s the company’s more basic Ray-Ban glasses with EssilorLuxottica that could prove as — or more — pivotal to the rise of smart glasses.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on 21 May to include Google's forthcoming partnerships with Gentle Monster and Kering's eyewear division.