Shandong-based 
Goertek (歌尔) has increased its stranglehold over the smart glasses industry as well as the supply chain around Meta’s AI-powered spectacles through a spate of dealmaking.
Goertek is manufacturing the forthcoming iteration of Meta’s smart glasses, dubbed “Hypernova”, which are expected to be unveiled this week.
Goertek’s dealmaking includes taking control of Shanghai OmniLight, which makes micro-nano optical devices used in smart glasses, and helping to finance a takeover of Plessey, a UK-based optics supplier to Meta.
Those moves come as Meta has attempted to diversify its hardware supply chain outside China. This year, the US company started some production of its Quest virtual reality headsets in Vietnam. But Goertek remains one of its main hardware partners in Vietnam.
“Goertek is very aggressive. Early on, they spotted the opportunity presented by the metaverse. Meta has no choice but to work with them because they are the most stable and reliable supplier for key components.”
The continued reliance on Goertek for its next-generation wearable devices stands in marked contrast to Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg’s hawkish turn on China.
The Facebook platform was banned in China in 2008, but Zuckerberg continued to lobby to expand its services in the country. Those efforts failed, allowing Chinese rivals to take control of the market.
Goertek’s strategies have previously caused concern at Meta. In 2022, Facebook’s parent company found that the Chinese group had started selling a cheaper version of its VR glasses model on local ecommerce platforms that were similar to the Quest.
Meta executives debated launching a lawsuit against its Chinese supplier, but ultimately decided against pursuing a case.
Goertek manufactures Meta’s virtual reality Quest headsets and its popular Ray-Ban smart glasses, while providing some components to the company. Meta also sources components from other suppliers from countries such as Japan and the US.
Meta bought virtual reality headset maker Oculus in 2014, renaming the headset to Quest when it announced its multibillion-dollar plan in 2021 to build an avatar-filled “metaverse”, which would be accessed by wearable devices.
More recently, Zuckerberg has pivoted to becoming an “AI leader”, which has included racing to develop more lightweight wearable devices that are powered by its AI models.
Meta is also collaborating with the US government on efforts to modernize its military technology. Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, was this June commissioned as a reserve lieutenant colonel with the Department of Defense, advising on the use of AI for military purposes. Meta also recently announced a partnership with defence tech group Anduril around designing VR and AR headsets for use by the US army.
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which Meta sells in partnership with eyewear group EssilorLuxottica and feature inbuilt speakers and cameras, became a surprise hit among consumers after their launch in Sep 2023, selling 2 million pairs by Feb 2025.
Meta’s Hypernova smart glasses would for the first time have a small display on one of the lenses, overlaying notifications or responses from Meta’s AI assistant on to the real world.
ft.com/content/b397f8
Goertek (歌尔) has increased its stranglehold over the smart glasses industry as well as the supply chain around Meta’s AI-powered spectacles through a spate of dealmaking.
Goertek is manufacturing the forthcoming iteration of Meta’s smart glasses, dubbed “Hypernova”, which are expected to be unveiled this week.
Goertek’s dealmaking includes taking control of Shanghai OmniLight, which makes micro-nano optical devices used in smart glasses, and helping to finance a takeover of Plessey, a UK-based optics supplier to Meta.
Those moves come as Meta has attempted to diversify its hardware supply chain outside China. This year, the US company started some production of its Quest virtual reality headsets in Vietnam. But Goertek remains one of its main hardware partners in Vietnam.
“Goertek is very aggressive. Early on, they spotted the opportunity presented by the metaverse. Meta has no choice but to work with them because they are the most stable and reliable supplier for key components.”
The continued reliance on Goertek for its next-generation wearable devices stands in marked contrast to Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg’s hawkish turn on China.
The Facebook platform was banned in China in 2008, but Zuckerberg continued to lobby to expand its services in the country. Those efforts failed, allowing Chinese rivals to take control of the market.
Goertek’s strategies have previously caused concern at Meta. In 2022, Facebook’s parent company found that the Chinese group had started selling a cheaper version of its VR glasses model on local ecommerce platforms that were similar to the Quest.
Meta executives debated launching a lawsuit against its Chinese supplier, but ultimately decided against pursuing a case.
Goertek manufactures Meta’s virtual reality Quest headsets and its popular Ray-Ban smart glasses, while providing some components to the company. Meta also sources components from other suppliers from countries such as Japan and the US.
Meta bought virtual reality headset maker Oculus in 2014, renaming the headset to Quest when it announced its multibillion-dollar plan in 2021 to build an avatar-filled “metaverse”, which would be accessed by wearable devices.
More recently, Zuckerberg has pivoted to becoming an “AI leader”, which has included racing to develop more lightweight wearable devices that are powered by its AI models.
Meta is also collaborating with the US government on efforts to modernize its military technology. Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, was this June commissioned as a reserve lieutenant colonel with the Department of Defense, advising on the use of AI for military purposes. Meta also recently announced a partnership with defence tech group Anduril around designing VR and AR headsets for use by the US army.
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which Meta sells in partnership with eyewear group EssilorLuxottica and feature inbuilt speakers and cameras, became a surprise hit among consumers after their launch in Sep 2023, selling 2 million pairs by Feb 2025.
Meta’s Hypernova smart glasses would for the first time have a small display on one of the lenses, overlaying notifications or responses from Meta’s AI assistant on to the real world.
ft.com/content/b397f8