OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Calls Smart Glasses Uncomfortable, Dismisses Meta Competition

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed strong discomfort with camera-equipped eyewear in a recent interview with tech journalist Alex Heath on the Sources Podcast, calling it "very uncomfortable." When questioned about the sunglasses he wore at last year’s Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, he emphatically said they were not smart glasses and that he does not like such devices. Meta, a leading player in the smart-glasses market through its partnership with Ray-Ban, reported selling more than 7 million AI glasses last year and is defending the segment amid venue bans and Instagram’s efforts to curb secret recordings.

The company notes that rising AI-glasses revenue is helping offset slower Quest headset sales, with Reality Labs generating $431 million in Q2 2026, up $61 million year-over-year. Altman also hinted that OpenAI is developing other AI-enabled products with designer Jony Ive, mentioning future items for the table, pocket, and body.