Finance

Meta in Essilux with almost 3% share: worth EUR 3 billion

The development of smart glasses using new artificial intelligence technologies is in focus

Logo Meta AI  (maggio 2024. Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

2' min read

2' min read

Meta has bought a minority stake in Luxottica. This was reported by the Bloomberg news agency citing company sources, according to which Meta has less than 3 per cent, which is worth about USD 3.5 billion, just under EUR 3 billion

The investment represents a further strengthening of the partnership of Mark Zuckerberg's giant dedicated in particular to the development of smart glasses, which use new artificial intelligence technologies.

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Menlo Park is considering further investments in EssilorLuxottica (which produces Ray-Ban) in order to increase its share to around 5% over time.

Meta's investment strengthens the ties between the two companies, which have allied in recent years to develop smart glasses. Indeed, in 2020, the then Facebook and EssilorLuxottica announced a multi-year collaboration on smart glasses, which then materialised with the first Ray-Ban branded connected glasses.

The investment also aligns with Zuckerberg's commitment to artificial intelligence, which has become Meta's top priority and largest expenditure.

Smart glasses are a central element in Zuckerberg's plan as they offer the company the opportunity to have its own hardware and control distribution, as Meta's CEO has explained in the past.For Zuckerberg's company, in the perhaps not too distant future, people will work and play through their own headsets or glasses.

For EssilorLuxottica, the agreement offers an opportunity to strengthen its presence in the hi-tech world. "We aim to become a leader in wearable computing, creating glasses that will one day replace most technological devices," EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri said last November 2024 in an interview with the Financial Times.

In recent weeks EssilorLuxottica and Meta announced Oakley Meta, a new category of Performance AI Glasses that combine Meta's advanced artificial intelligence with Oakley's iconic design and Prizm lenses, taking their partnership a step further.

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