Show notes
In this special episode in collaboration with the Power User podcast Amy Odell joins tech journalist Taylor Lorenz to trace the arc of wearable tech — from the abomination that was Google Glass to Snapchat's vending-machine Spectacles and the company's recent $2,000 flop. Also, why Meta's rollout of it's new $299 fashion-first AI glasses, odious as many find them, may end up being a smash hit. Follow Taylor's show Power User on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube, and subscribe to her newsletter, UserMag.Chapters:00:00 Intro — why everyone's arguing about Meta's glasses01:36 Turning a camera into a fashion accessory01:55 Welcome + the "hot surveillance summer" question02:45 Google Glass and the original abomination04:16 Snapchat Spectacles, vending machines, and a $130 flop06:48 GoPro and how sports normalized filming everything08:55 Ray-Ban Stories (2021) and the "creep" problem10:57 2025: Oakley Meta and the first AI glasses11:55 2026: low-profile frames, rhinestones, and AI as the real sell13:25 The influencer rollout and the decline of fashion media18:39 Why Kylie Jenner21:40 How phones already normalized recording everything24:56 Fashion, plausible deniability, and getting women on board26:20 Will they actually sell? Meta's copy machine29:19 The anti-screen crowd may be Meta's best customer32:14 Beyond glasses: pins, pendants, and camera AirPods35:29 Who owns the data? Facial recognition and the scary part37:11 Zuckerberg, Bezos, the Met Gala, and OpenAI's fashion play39:59 Snap's $2,000 flop and why ugly tech dies43:03 Wrap-up Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.