According to The Verge and TechCrunch, Lorde told the crowd at a Madrid festival to 'f— the glasses, don't get the glasses, not sexy,' an apparent shot at sponsor Ray-Ban's Meta AI smartglasses — delivered right before ambassador Jennie's set, as Meta faces lawsuits including one alleging Kenyan contract workers were forced to watch graphic glasses footage.
What exactly did Lorde say about the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses?
Lorde used part of her festival set to speak out against AI glasses, according to The Verge. The outlet reports she told the audience: "You don't know if someone is wearing sunglasses or if they're wearing those fucked up fucking… Can I just say, for the record, fuck the glasses. Don't get the glasses. Not sexy."
TechCrunch's account of the same remarks quotes a slightly softened transcription: "Increasingly in our world, it gets harder and harder to know what is real. You don't know if someone is wearing sunglasses, or if they're wearing those f—ed up, f—ing [AI glasses]. Can I just say, for the record, f— the glasses. Don't get the glasses. Not sexy." TechCrunch adds that "many security experts have deemed [the glasses] a privacy nightmare," framing the remarks as commentary on that broader debate rather than a one-off joke.
What was the context of the remarks?
The two outlets differ slightly on the event name: The Verge identifies it as the Real Cool Festival in Madrid, held on a Thursday, while TechCrunch calls it the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, describing it as having taken place "last week" relative to its July 14, 2026 publication. Both agree on the city and on what made the moment notable: per The Verge, "it's likely she was taking a shot at festival sponsor Ray-Ban, which has collaborated with Meta on a pair of AI smartglasses."
The timing sharpened the jab. The Verge reports that "Lorde was followed on stage by Blackpink's Jennie, who is a Ray-Ban Meta AI ambassador and has been featured in advertising campaigns on Instagram and in a video screened between sets" at the festival. TechCrunch corroborates this, noting Lorde "performed immediately before the singer Jennie, who is an ambassador for Ray-Ban Meta's smart glasses line."
What privacy and ethics controversies surround Meta's smart glasses?
The Verge reports the comments "come as Meta faces renewed scrutiny over its smart glasses," adding that despite the backlash, Meta "is still reportedly planning to launch a pair of 'super sensing' glasses that are continuously recording."
TechCrunch details a specific legal claim: "One lawsuit alleges that Kenyan contract workers were made to watch graphic videos obtained with the glasses to help train Meta's AI," noting that "Meta hasn't publicly detailed its response to that specific claim." More broadly, TechCrunch reports that Meta, described as "the most popular smart glasses maker," has said it "takes privacy seriously and builds in safeguards like a visible recording light," while acknowledging the company "is facing many investigations and lawsuits alleging privacy violations."
Did the criticism affect sales?
Sales data reported by TechCrunch shows no sign of a slowdown. EssilorLuxottica, the Ray-Ban maker, said it sold more than 7 million Meta AI glasses in 2025 — more than triple the roughly 2 million units it sold in 2023 and 2024 combined.
| Period | Units sold (Meta AI glasses) |
|---|
| 2023–2024 combined | ~2,000,000 |
| 2025 | 7,000,000+ |
Source: TechCrunch, citing EssilorLuxottica.
What this means
Lorde's onstage line landed in a setting where the target was hard to miss: a sponsor's product, promoted by an ambassador performing right after her, at a festival the sponsor itself backed. Set against that same-week backdrop, TechCrunch's reporting shows Meta's smart glasses drawing lawsuits — including the Kenyan contract-worker allegation — and public safeguard claims like the visible recording light, even as EssilorLuxottica's own figures show unit sales more than tripling year over year into 2025. The two outlets' differing names for the festival (Real Cool vs. Mad Cool) is a discrepancy in the record itself, not a discrepancy this article resolves.