OpenAI CEO candidly says he “dislikes smart glasses”: Feels uncomfortable talking to someone wearing a camera, giving Zuckerberg a temporary sigh of relief

Altman made it clear in an interview that he does not like smart glasses, stating that he feels uncomfortable talking to people wearing recording devices. This statement suggests that OpenAI will not enter the smart glasses field to compete with Meta in the short term. He also revealed that the AI device being developed in collaboration with Jony Ive is underway, but its form may not be glasses—instead, it could cover desktop, portable, wearable, and other scenarios. Meta's smart glasses business is growing rapidly; its Reality Labs department reported revenue of $431 million last quarter, an increase of $61 million year-on-year, partially offsetting the slowdown in Quest headset sales. Privacy concerns regarding smart glasses have also sparked widespread attention, and some venues have announced plans to ban them.

Article author, source: AIBase

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated clearly in an interview with Alex Heath's "Sources Podcast" on Tuesday local time that he does not like smart glasses, bluntly saying, "I feel very uncomfortable talking to people who are wearing camera and lighting devices." This position is undoubtedly telling Mark Zuckerberg that he does not need to worry about OpenAI competing for Meta’s smart glasses business for now.

Attitude has long been clear; Meta's glasses business is rapidly growing

In fact, Altman's attitude toward smart glasses has been apparent for some time. When attending the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference last year, a reporter asked at the sidelines whether the sunglasses he was wearing were smart glasses. He quickly clarified: "Absolutely not, I don't like smart glasses."

Meta is one of the main players in the smart glasses sector. Although the company has not disclosed glasses revenue separately, it has repeatedly indicated in its financial reports that AI glasses sales are offsetting the slowdown in Quest headset sales. In July of this year, Meta reported that its Reality Labs department (including consumer hardware sales) achieved revenue of $431 million in the second quarter of 2026, approximately 2.904 billion yuan, up $61 million year-on-year.

At the same time, privacy issues with smart glasses are drawing widespread attention. After some venues announced plans to ban customers from wearing smart glasses, Meta has launched a round of public relations campaigns recently. Instagram has also pledged to crack down on users secretly recording with smart glasses, but there is still room for improvement.

Suggesting OpenAI hardware is not glasses-shaped, to launch in batches

During the interview, Heath tried to get Altman to disclose more details about the AI device being jointly developed by OpenAI and legendary iPhone designer Jony Ive. Altman said: "I think some things are best placed on the desktop, some are best put in the pocket, and some are best worn on the body, and we’ll take time to launch these things one by one."

The device being developed in partnership with Ive's LoveFrom studio has the internal codename "Sweet Pea" and is positioned as an AI voice interaction device. Altman's statement also suggests that this device may not take the form of smart glasses.