Google co-founder Sergey Brin made a surprising admission during Google’s I/O 2025 event this week, candidly acknowledging that the company “made a lot of mistakes with Google Glass” during an on-stage interview with Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.

The rare appearance by Brin came as Google unveiled Android XR, its new smart glasses platform powered by Gemini AI, marking the tech giant’s second major attempt to enter the augmented reality eyewear market after its earlier Google Glass product failed to achieve widespread consumer adoption.

“I made a lot of mistakes with Google Glass,” Brin admitted according to TechCrunch’s reporting of the event. His candor about the company’s previous missteps provided valuable context as Google positions its new Android XR platform as a more mature and capable offering.

According to coverage from Android Police, Brin specifically cited supply chain issues and pricing as key factors that limited Google Glass’s success. The Times of India noted that Brin acknowledged Google faced challenges due to “a lack of understanding of consumer electronics supply chains” during the Glass era.

Despite these past failures, Brin expressed optimism about the prospects for Android XR. His confidence appears to stem from two major developments: strategic partnerships with established hardware manufacturers and the significant advancements in artificial intelligence technology, particularly Google’s Gemini AI system.

The AI Revolution in Wearable Tech

During his conversation with Hassabis, Brin emphasized that modern AI capabilities now enable practical real-world applications for smart glasses that simply weren’t feasible during the Google Glass era. The integration of Gemini AI into Android XR allows for sophisticated features such as seamless directions, real-time translations, and instant object identification.

“The tech giant was selling its Google Glass to enterprise customers all the way up to March 2023, and that previous experience is now helping it avoid the same mistakes it made this past decade,” reported Android Police.

Strategic Partnerships

Unlike its approach with Google Glass, which Google developed and manufactured itself, the company is taking a platform-focused approach with Android XR. By creating an operating system and AI framework that other hardware manufacturers can build upon, Google aims to address the supply chain and pricing issues that plagued its previous effort.

This strategy marks a significant shift in Google’s approach to the augmented reality market. Rather than attempting to control the entire hardware and software stack, the company is leveraging its strengths in AI and software while allowing partners with established hardware expertise to handle device manufacturing.

Looking Forward

Google’s I/O event, which concluded yesterday, featured several major announcements across the company’s product lines, including updates to Android, Google Search, and Gemini. However, as noted by Patently Apple, the Android XR demonstration “clearly should have been the headliner of the event,” giving attendees their first substantial look at the smart glasses experience from a user’s perspective.

The timing of this renewed push into augmented reality eyewear comes as competitors like Apple and Meta continue to invest heavily in mixed reality technologies. Google’s approach, with its emphasis on AI integration and partner-driven hardware, represents a distinctly different strategy from its previous attempt.

Whether Android XR will succeed where Google Glass struggled remains to be seen, but Brin’s candid acknowledgment of past failures suggests the company has learned valuable lessons from its earlier missteps in this challenging market segment.