WSJ Tech News Briefing
WSJ Tech News Briefing

TNB Tech Minute: Ray-Ban Maker Says Smartglasses Sales Nearly Doubled In Latest Quarter

2 min
•Jul 28, 202627 days ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

Ray-Ban smartglasses sales nearly doubled in Q2 for Essilor Luxottica, driven by AI-powered devices made with Meta, though competition from Google and Apple looms. Chip equipment supplier ASM International raised its 2027 revenue outlook amid strong AI infrastructure demand, while SpaceX shares have fallen 18% below their June IPO price despite early gains.

Insights
  • Smart eyewear is emerging as a significant growth driver for legacy eyewear manufacturers, with Ray-Ban/Oakley smartglasses nearly doubling sales YoY
  • AI infrastructure buildout is creating sustained demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, with suppliers raising long-term revenue forecasts
  • High-profile tech IPOs face post-debut volatility and correction, with SpaceX losing $1.2 trillion in market cap from its peak despite strong initial trading
  • Competitive pressure in smartglasses is intensifying as major tech platforms (Google, Apple) prepare to enter the market alongside established players
  • Partnerships with trusted AI providers are becoming critical for startups to scale capabilities without building everything in-house
Trends
AI-powered wearables gaining mainstream adoption and revenue scale in consumer techSemiconductor equipment suppliers benefiting from sustained AI chip demand and infrastructure investmentTech IPO market showing volatility with significant post-debut corrections despite strong initial performanceSmartglasses competition consolidating around major platforms (Meta, Google, Apple) with traditional eyewear makers as manufacturing partnersEnterprise AI adoption driving demand for collaborative AI tools and workspace solutionsChip manufacturing capacity becoming strategic bottleneck in AI infrastructure race
Companies
Essilor Luxottica
Franco-Italian eyewear manufacturer reporting nearly doubled Ray-Ban and Oakley smartglasses sales in Q2 powered by A...
Meta
Technology partner producing AI-powered Ray-Ban and Oakley smartglasses with Essilor Luxottica, driving significant r...
Ray-Ban
Smartglasses brand owned by Essilor Luxottica, nearly doubled sales in Q2 with AI-powered features produced with Meta
Oakley
Smartglasses brand owned by Essilor Luxottica, experiencing nearly doubled sales in Q2 alongside Ray-Ban AI-powered m...
ASM International
Dutch chip equipment supplier raising 2027 revenue target above $5.2B range due to strong AI infrastructure and devic...
Google
Preparing to launch its own smartglasses model, creating competitive pressure for Essilor Luxottica's Ray-Ban and Oak...
Apple
Preparing to launch its own smartglasses model, creating competitive pressure for Essilor Luxottica's Ray-Ban and Oak...
SpaceX
Elon Musk's space exploration and AI company trading 18% below $135 IPO price after debuting mid-June and losing $1.2...
People
Julie Chang
Presented the TNB Tech Minute briefing covering smartglasses, chip equipment, and SpaceX stock performance
K. Ju
Featured in sponsor segment discussing importance of trusted AI partnerships for scaling startup capabilities
Elon Musk
Mentioned as founder of SpaceX, whose stock has fallen 18% below IPO price since June debut
Quotes
"GenSpark is the all-in-one workspace. We do AI spreadsheets, AI slides, AI documents, all kinds of work for normal white-collar workers."
K. Ju•Sponsor segment
"We are a very small startup, so we cannot do everything by ourselves. And working with trusted partners is really, really important."
K. Ju•Sponsor segment
"In the collaboration, the openness is the key. Some of the secrets you kept today will be worthless tomorrow."
K. Ju•Sponsor segment
"The success of the partnership comes to deep, neutral trust. When it's really working, it's a very tight feedback loop."
K. Ju•Sponsor segment
Full Transcript
This episode is sponsored by Anthropic, the makers of Claude. K. Ju co-founded GenSpark, an all-in-one AI workspace. He credits his success to collaborating with trusted partners. Hear from him at the break. Here's your afternoon TNB Tech Minute for Tuesday, July 28th. I'm Julie Chang for The Wall Street Journal. Eyewear company Essilor Luxottica said sales growth slowed a little in the second quarter from the first, but it's still seeing a continued rapid increase in revenue from its smart glasses. The Franco-Italian manufacturer said sales of Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses, powered by AI and produced with Meta, nearly doubled in the second quarter. The company is banking on the tech-infused glasses to help fuel its growth over the long term. But the group could face competition from other smart glasses models in the near future, with Google and Apple preparing their own models of the wearable tech. Chip equipment supplier ASM International said it expects next year's sales to grow more than previously thought, as the race to build AI infrastructure and new devices fuels demands for chips and the tools needed to make them. The Dutch company's previous 2027 revenue target was between $4.2 to $5.2 billion. It announced today that it expects to exceed the top end of that range. ASM International also reported that second quarter sales rose 24 on year Its shares are up 46 since January despite bouts of volatility that have weighed on the sector And shares of SpaceX are trading about 18% below its IPO price of $135. Elon Musk's space exploration and AI company debuted on Wall Street mid-June. The stock climbed above $200 shortly after its hotly anticipated market debut. It has since shed some $1.2 trillion in market cap as it wipes those early gains and continues to fall below its IPO price. It was up about 2% in mid-afternoon trading. And that's your TNB Tech Minutes. We'll have another QuickTech update in the morning. Anthropics Cloud is AI for problem solvers, like GenSpark's Keiju. Here's what this partnership means for him. GenSpark is the all-in-one workspace. We do AI spreadsheets, AI slides, AI documents, all kinds of work for normal white-collar workers. We are a very small startup, so we cannot do everything by ourselves. And working with trusted partners is really, really important. In the collaboration, the openness is the key. Some of the secrets you kept today will be worthless tomorrow. The success of the partnership comes to deep, neutral trust. when it's really working, it's a very tight feedback loop. What problems will you solve with Claude? Get started at claude.com slash problem solvers.