“These are going to be mind-blowing products that really change the way all of us interface with AI and with technology,” said Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, during a fireside chat this week at the Baird 2025 Global Consumer, Technology and Services Conference. “We believe that glasses are the perfect form factor for AI.”
However, “they won’t be for sale in this calendar year,” Gilboa said.
The collaboration between Warby Parker and Google, which was unveiled at Google’s developer conference in May, marks the latest foray into the AI-powered glasses market.
Meta and Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica partnered in 2019 to create smart glasses embedded with Meta’s AI chatbot. Amazon launched its Echo Frames in the same year. Snapchat, which debuted its internet-connected Spectacles in 2016, upgraded it with AI in 2024.
Apple is reportedly working on its own smart glasses, while Samsung is working with Google to debut its own augmented reality (AR) glasses. There are also smaller companies that have unveiled AI glasses, such as Xreal and Envision.
AI-powered glasses are the latest upgrade to older forms of smart glasses, most famously exhibited by Google Glasses in 2013. Priced at $1,500, it was discontinued a decade later.
But as wearables became smarter, adoption increased. One of the most popular uses of wearables is for health tracking, according to a PYMNTS Intelligence report, “Connected Wellness: Tracking the Rise of Health-Tracking Technology.” Millennials were most likely to use these wearables, with Generation Z not far behind. Baby boomers and seniors came in last.
Real-Time Contextual Information
Warby Parker’s alliance with Google on AI-powered smart glasses marks a major milestone for the direct-to-consumer eyewear brand.
Gilboa said they are still engaged in early work for the glasses, but he believes that generally AI-powered glasses’ ability to offer real-time contextual information will make it much more useful to consumers.
Much like how smartphones unleashed a wave of innovation by enabling connected mobility, Gilboa said smart glasses will do the same for AI.
“It can know what you’re looking at and can understand what you’re hearing. As a result, AI can process information in real time,” Gilboa said. “They have context around you as an individual; they know what’s on your calendar. They know everything about you.”
So when users look at the world, the glasses can help answer questions like “how do I install a car seat or fix a broken coffee machine?” Gilboa said. “What shoes is that guy wearing and where can I buy them?
“For the first time, people will really want to adopt smart glasses for all-day everyday use because they look good and have so much utility,” Gilboa added.
Their smart glasses project benefits from Google’s broad ecosystem that includes Android, Search, Maps and YouTube, as well as its experience in generative AI.
“They have such depth of data around their individual users that being able to tap into that with a smart glasses product is what we think is going to be really transformative in a number of ways to the world, but also to our business,” Gilboa said.
See also: Target Teams With Warby Parker for in-Store Eyewear Shopping
Managing Tariff Uncertainty
Asked how the retailer is responding to tariffs, Warby Parker CFO Steve Miller said the company is actively rerouting its supply chain to minimize the impact of tariffs on Chinese imports.
Before the tariffs, around 20% of its goods come from China, with the rest from Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Italy and the U.S. The retailer said the estimated hit from the tariffs is $40 million to $45 million, assuming the 145% tariffs on China and 10% for the rest of the world. (China tariffs has since been cut to 30%, but the situation is in flux.)
Miller said the retailer is doing three things to offset the tariffs:
- Reallocating the supply chain globally. By the end of 2025, less than 10% of products will be sourced from China.
- Price increases.
- Tight rein on expenses.
Gilboa said Warby Parker has opened two optical labs in recent years, in Las Vegas and a suburb of New York. These locations do the final assembly of the glasses for quality control.
In the meantime, the retailer’s core business continues to thrive.
The company now operates nearly 300 retail locations and generates close to $800 million in annual revenue. Its growth strategy includes store expansion, product diversification and expanded vision services.
Warby Parker is planning to open 45 stores this year, including five inside Target stores. The company began by only selling eyeglasses directly to consumer, but now it also offers contact lenses and eye exams, representing roughly 10% and 6% of revenue respectively.
“Contacts were up roughly 25%. Eye exams were up 40%,” Miller noted. “We view eye exams and holistic vision care more broadly as critical to serving the eyewear customer in the U.S.”
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