Sergey Brin is back — and he’s got unfinished business. At Google I/O 2025, the reclusive Google co-founder made a surprise appearance and offered rare public reflections on the company’s infamous Google Glass failure — and why he’s doubling down on smart glasses in a new AI era.
“I Made a Lot of Mistakes with Google Glass,” Says Brin
During a candid onstage conversation alongside DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, hosted by Big Technology Podcast’s Alex Kantrowitz, Brin admitted:
“I made a lot of mistakes with Google Glass. I didn’t know anything about consumer electronics supply chains.”
Launched in 2013 and quietly discontinued years later, Google Glass was once seen as the future of wearable tech — but became more known for its social backlash, privacy concerns, and high price tag.
Why Brin Still Believes in Smart Glasses
Despite the product’s initial failure, Brin revealed he’s still deeply optimistic about the potential of the smart glasses form factor. This time, however, he says Google isn’t going it alone.
“I’m glad we’re pursuing this again — but now with great partners who are helping us build this.”
Android XR Smart Glasses Powered by DeepMind AI
Earlier in the day at Google I/O 2025, the company officially unveiled its new Android XR smart glasses, built in collaboration with:
- Samsung
- Xreal
- Warby Parker (with Google investing $150M and taking an equity stake)
These next-gen glasses integrate DeepMind’s Project Astra, enabling real-time translations, navigation, and AI-powered visual search — a far cry from the simpler functionality of Google Glass over a decade ago.
Key features include:
- Live AR overlays
- AI-driven assistance
- Voice + visual input
- Multimodal understanding (text, image, video)
ALSO READ: Google Unveils Gemma 3n AI Model That Can Run Directly on Phones
Generative AI Changes the Game
According to Brin, one of the biggest changes between then and now is the advent of generative AI.
“The capabilities are much more tangible today,” he said, referring to how modern AI can make smart glasses truly useful in everyday life.
Google’s Gemini AI and Veo 3 — the company’s video-generation model — are among the technologies Brin is now personally helping to shape.
Brin Is ‘Effectively Out of Retirement’ to Lead Gemini Push
After years away from the spotlight, Brin confirmed he’s back in the office nearly every day at Google’s Mountain View HQ — helping the Gemini team drive multimodal innovation.
“Anybody who’s a computer scientist should not be retired right now,” Brin said.
“They should be working on AI.”
Internal reports suggest Brin has taken a hands-on leadership role, even encouraging employees to return to the office full-time and put in 60-hour workweeks to help Google stay ahead in the AI arms race.
What This Means for Google’s AI & Hardware Ambitions
With this new push into AR smart glasses, Google appears determined to merge:
- Its deep AI research (via DeepMind and Gemini)
- A second shot at hardware innovation
- Strategic partnerships to fill in gaps — especially in manufacturing, eyewear design, and distribution
This approach could finally bring Brin’s original vision for everyday wearable computing to life — this time backed by tools powerful enough to meet the moment.
