Google Throws $150 Million At Warby Parker to Resurrect Smart Glasses Nobody Asked For…

Warby Parker is back. Not because anyone asked, but because Google threw $150 million at them in a last-ditch attempt to make smart glasses a thing again. 

(Source: Giphy)

In short, the eyewear brand that peaked in 2018 by selling $95 plastic frames to people who made oat milk their entire personality has somehow convinced Google to bankroll its re-entry into relevance. Google, suffering from both desperation and tech amnesia, is partnering with Warby Parker to develop smart glasses. But not just any smart glasses… ones powered by Android XR and Gemini AI. Soooo, what makes this different from Google Glass? Yes. 

For starters, Google is throwing $75 million at product development and dangling another $75 million if Warby hits “certain collaboration milestones,” which really just means “Don’t F’k this up”. The first product won’t launch until after 2025, which means Google has at least 18 months to convince everyone this isn’t just Google Glass with better marketing. A.k.a. The same tech that publicly humiliated the company for turning users into weird surveillance goblins, and then buried the product like a dead pet. But now, with AI back in heat and Meta flexing its Ray-Ban collab, Google clearly doesn’t want to be the only Big Tech player not monetizing physical eyeballs.

(Source: Giphy) 

Which brings me back to Meta. Zuck and EssilorLuxottica are already on Gen 3 of their smart glasses. The last version added a camera and voice assistant, so you can livestream your existential crisis in 4K… oh, and its next-gen model is also rumored to include display. Bigly. However, Meta’s whole angle is social integration, content capture, and making sure you never have a moment of privacy again. Google and Warby? They’re going for fashion-forward utility… that is, assuming Gemini can do more than just mispronounce calendar events. 

Meaning, if you’re getting hodge podge vibes from this move…  that’s because it is. This is tech eating its own tail. Warby Parker needs relevance. Google needs a wearable win. And rather than confront the fact that nobody actually wants to wear a computer on their face, both companies have decided to LARP their way to CES 2026 and hope journalists will pretend this is disruptive instead of just sad. 

(Source: Giphy) 

But, but, but… Warby Parker’s stock catapulted 16% on the news… which tells you everything you need to know about public markets right now: no one gives a sh*t if it makes sense. Google however, dropped -1.52%, presumably because no one wants this, and no one asked for it. But hey, it’s happening anyway. So keep your eyes on this story and place your bets accordingly, friends. Until next time… 

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Stocks.News holds positions in Google and Meta as mentioned in the article.