EssilorLuxottica Extends Partnership With Meta for Smart Glasses

PARIS – EssilorLuxottica said on Tuesday it has extended its partnership with Meta Platforms with the aim of building on the success of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to develop the next generation of smart eyewear products.

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The two companies initially joined forces in 2019 and said they have entered a new long-term agreement to collaborate “into the next decade,” without providing additional details on the length of the contract.

The second iteration of Ray-Ban smart glasses was unveiled last fall. The glasses allow wearers to make phone calls, capture and share photos and videos, listen to music and livestream content to Facebook and Instagram. Meta recently introduced an AI assistant for consumers in the United States and Canada.

There is strong demand for the product in the markets where it has been launched, EssilorLuxottica said in a statement, citing the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

“We invest hundreds of millions every year in R&D to create products that improve quality of life for billions of people, and impact how they see the world and each other,” said Francesco Milleri, chairman and chief executive officer of EssilorLuxottica.

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“The incredible work we’ve done with Meta, still in its early stages, has already proven to be an important milestone in our journey to making glasses the gateway to the connected world,” he added.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta, said he looked forward to taking the technology to the next level.

“We have the opportunity to turn glasses into the next major technology platform, and make it fashionable in the process,” he said.

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