Meta is expected to double down on AI-powered augmented reality products with new smart glasses at its annual Connect event on Wednesday, even as the company faces scrutiny over its handling of child safety on its social media platforms.
Reuters
At its Menlo Park, California-based headquarters, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to unveil Meta’s first consumer-ready smart glasses with a built-in display, a device that analysts predicted will retail for about $800.
Internally codenamed “Hypernova,” the glasses are expected to be launched as “Celeste,” analysts said, and will feature a small digital display in the right lens for basic functions such as notifications.
The new glasses are the latest in Meta’s effort to stay relevant in the AI race, where it is lagging rivals such as OpenAI and Alphabet’s Google, but analysts said the device’s hefty price tag could deter buyers.
The product will likely be much less advanced than the “Orion” prototype glasses that Meta showcased at last year’s event, a device that Zuckerberg called “the time machine to the future.”
The company did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on the new glasses.
Meta, which expects to launch Orion in 2027, currently offers two lines of glasses – in collaboration with Ray Ban and Oakley – that incorporate artificial intelligence features, cameras, hands-free control and livestreaming to Meta’s social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram.
Zuckerberg, who has poured more than $60 billion since 2020 into Meta’s augmented reality unit, has said that smart glasses will be the company’s main conduit to integrate superintelligence – a hypothetical concept where AI surpasses human intelligence in every possible way – into everyday human lives.
In the effort to catch up in AI, Zuckerberg has sparked a billion-dollar talent war, aggressively poaching researchers from rivals, while whistleblowers have said Meta was putting profit over user safety.
Reuters reported last month that Meta’s AI policies allowed its chatbots to engage children in provocative conversations about sex and race, and whistleblowers said earlier this month Meta’s researchers were told not to investigate harms to children using its virtual reality technology so that the company could claim ignorance of the problem.
Meta told Reuters previously that it has removed portions in its policies that stated it was permissible for chatbots to engage in romantic roleplay with children.
At the two-day Connect conference, the company is also expected to launch its first wristband that allows users to control the new glasses with hand gestures. It is also expected to show an updated Ray-Ban line that comes with better cameras and battery life and supports new AI features, analysts said.
Meta is the rare Big Tech company to gain consumer traction in smart glasses, selling about two million pairs of the Ray-Ban line it makes with EssilorLuxottica since 2023, in a market where rival bets such as Google Glasses have stumbled. But the unit has posted billions in losses.
CNBC has reported the Hypernova glasses could feature Prada branding, as the Italian label is known for thick frames and arms that could house many of the necessary components. Prada did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment.
Still, analysts said the expected $800 sticker price for the glasses – much higher than the $299 starting price for the Ray-Ban line and $399 for the sportier Oakley glasses – will mean that the device will have a negligible share of the market.
“These glasses will be somewhat bulky … not the most consumer-friendly design. It is also going to be pretty expensive. So the volumes are going to be fairly low,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for International Data Corp’s worldwide mobile device tracker.
He estimated the device would sell “a few hundred thousand units at most” but could help get more developers on board to build apps for it. “This is a step to eventually build a much-better mass-market headset.” As part of efforts to attract developers, Meta is also expected to open its smart glasses to third-party developers with a new software kit.
Louis Vuitton has named Grammy Award–winning artist Future as its newest ambassador, deepening the maison’s ongoing commitment to celebrating talent across cultural landscapes.
Louis Vuitton names Future as its newest ambassador. – Louis Vuitton
The Atlanta-born rapper, producer and composer continues to dominate the global music landscape. Most recently, he released back-to-back chart-topping albums, “We Don’t Trust You” and “We Still Don’t Trust You”, which became an international phenomenon and further cemented Future’s status as a cultural trailblazer. Over the course of his career, Future has earned 11 number-one albums and multiple chart-leading singles.
“Future embodies the core values of Louis Vuitton, including creativity, artistry, and a pioneering spirit that resonates with international audiences,” the maison said in a statement. “His unique style and creative vision make him an invaluable addition to the Louis Vuitton family.”
It’s not the first time Future collaborates with Louis Vuitton. He attended Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Spring–Summer 2026 show in Paris at the invitation of Pharrell Williams, a longtime friend and creative collaborator. Earlier this year, Future also appeared at the 2025 Met Gala, themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” wearing a custom Louis Vuitton grey quarter-zip ensemble layered with a tie, designed by Williams.
Rent the Runway announced on Monday sales for the third quarter rose 15.4% to $87.6 million, with the U.S. rental platform clocking growth across its subscriber base.
Rent the Runway
The New York-based firm said ending active subscribers grew 12.4% to 148,916 during the three months, and average active subscribers totalled 147,645, up 12.9% on the prior-year period.
Meanwhile, total subscriber numbers lifted 6.1% to 185,166 during the quarter ending October 31.
In line with strong sales growth, the company reported a net income of $76.5 million, as compared to a loss of $18.9 million in the third quarter last year.
“This year we’ve repositioned ourselves for sustained growth in the category,” said Jennifer Hyman, co-founder and CEO of Rent the Runway.
“Not only did we execute operationally on our stated goals to return to our customer-obsessed origins, reinvigorate our brand, and drive double-digit growth in subscribers; but we also restructured our balance sheet, closing the recapitalization transactions in October that offer improved financial flexibility to better position us for continued growth.”
Earlier this year, Rent the Runway said it will hand over a controlling stake in the company as part of a plan to cut debt and grow.
The deal, with lender Aranda Principal Strategies and other partners, will wipe more than $240 million of debt from Rent the Runway’s balance sheet, according to an emailed statement released in August.
Looking ahead, Rent the Runway said it forecasts revenue of between $323.1 million and $325.1 million for the full-year.
Elisabetta Caldera, 55, has been named global chief people and organization officer for Chanel Ltd., succeeding Claire Isnard, 64, starting next month, the company told Bloomberg News in a statement.
Isnard is retiring after more than 17 years at the group, which had a workforce of around 38,400 employees last year. Caldera will join Chanel’s leadership team, reporting to Chief Executive Officer Leena Nair, and be based in London.
Caldera spent more than four years as global chief human resources officer at Aegon Ltd. where she was also part of the insurer’s executive committee. The Italian executive previously spent 17 years at Vodafone Group Plc in various HR roles until 2021 when she joined Aegon.
Under CEO Nair, the former head of HR at Unilever Plc, Chanel has been rebuilding the roster of top managers at the company as an older guard retires.
Chanel, known for its No. 5 fragrance, is privately owned by the billionaire brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer whose fortunes are estimated at about $43 billion each, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The company, founded in Paris but headquartered in London, reports its financial performance once a year, generally around late May. Revenue fell 4.3% to $18.7 billion in 2024 on a comparative basis with operating profit sliding by almost a third partly due to heavy advertising spending and a rise in hiring.
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