Meta’s Smart Glasses Demos Crash Amid Technical Glitches

San Francisco, California – Meta‘s recent smart glasses demo during the annual Meta Connect event showcased both innovation and frustration. At the event on September 19, 2025, the company unveiled three new pairs of smart glasses, but technical glitches marred the live demonstrations.

Meta’s Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth explained on Instagram that two significant live demos encountered failures. The first involved cooking influencer Jack Mancuso, who attempted to use the glasses’ AI assistant but faced repeated crashes and glitches. “When the chef said, ‘Hey Meta, start Live AI,’ it started every single Ray-Ban Meta’s Live AI in the building,” Bosworth said.

Mancuso’s AI assistant mishap prompted laughter as he quipped about possible Wi-Fi issues, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg also noted the “brutal” Wi-Fi conditions. Unfortunately, the underlying cause was a lack of resource management planning, which led multiple devices to engage the AI simultaneously, overwhelming the network.

The second demo featured Zuckerberg trying to answer a WhatsApp video call from Bosworth using the new Ray-Ban Display glasses. When the call attempted to connect, the glasses’ display mistakenly went to sleep, failing to show the answering options. This unexpected bug left Zuckerberg unable to respond, with the issue later described by Bosworth as a rare synchronization error.

Despite this setback, Bosworth reassured viewers that the glasses perform well under normal conditions, claiming the issues were merely “demo fails” rather than product failures. “I know the product works,” he stated, addressing concerns that the failures reflected poorly on product readiness.

Meta aims to integrate AI seamlessly into its AR strategy with these smart glasses, which are designed to provide real-time assistance and information via a heads-up display. With a price range starting at $299, the devices are intended to enhance user experience but faced scrutiny following the live glitches.

Looking forward, Meta plans to release the smart glasses for public purchase on September 30, 2025. Bosworth expressed optimism for the upcoming launch, emphasizing commitment to continuous improvement based on user feedback from real-world usage, rather than the limited conditions of the live demonstration.

As Meta moves ahead, the tech community will be watching closely to see if the company can regain any traction lost from this awkward presentation.