Meta Invests $3.5B in Eyewear Giant for AI Glasses Push
14th July 2025, Kathmandu
Meta is making a significant play in the wearable AI market, investing $3.5 billion for a 3% stake in EssilorLuxottica, the world’s largest eyewear manufacturer and parent company of brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley.
Meta Invests $3.5B in Eyewear
This move solidifies Meta’s commitment to AI-powered smart glasses, with discussions reportedly underway to increase the stake to 5%.
This strategic partnership builds on a collaboration that began in 2021, which has already yielded Ray-Bans with integrated cameras and AI assistants, and more recently, Oakley-branded models. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy is clear: establish control over hardware to circumvent the existing app ecosystems dominated by Apple and Google, and leverage EssilorLuxottica’s global reach for widespread distribution. The news sent EssilorLuxottica’s shares surging by 6.9%, with Warby Parker also seeing a 4.3% jump.
Apple Eyes Perplexity AI in Potential $14B Search Shakeup
In a bold move that could redefine its presence in the search market, Apple is reportedly in early talks to acquire Perplexity AI in a deal potentially worth $14 billion. This would mark Apple’s largest acquisition to date and a significant bet on the future of AI-driven search.
The discussions, led by Apple’s M&A chief Adrian Perica and services head Eddy Cue, come as Apple’s long-standing $20 billion-a-year search deal with Google faces increasing antitrust scrutiny.
Acquiring Perplexity AI, known for its real-time, conversational search capabilities, could provide Apple with a homegrown alternative and open doors to new revenue streams through AI-powered search ads. Apple’s Eddy Cue has acknowledged the shift in user behavior towards AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, emphasizing the need for traditional search engines to adapt.
However, the potential acquisition presents challenges, including managing plagiarism and copyright concerns associated with Perplexity, and navigating potential regulatory scrutiny and its impact on the existing Google partnership. Apple may opt for a licensing agreement rather than an outright acquisition, but either scenario signals Apple’s proactive stance in the AI landscape.
European Startups Leverage AI to Tackle Skills Gaps and Clinical Trial Delays
Perry Raises €1.6M to Address Europe’s Skilled Worker Shortage
A new Dutch startup, Perry, co-founded by ex-Google and McKinsey veterans Laurens Feenstra and Arie Kuiper, has secured €1.6 million in seed funding to address Europe’s critical shortage of skilled technicians. Perry aims to bridge this gap by equipping frontline workers with AI-powered, visual instructions that adapt in real time.
Perry’s innovative tool replaces traditional manuals, learning from technician feedback and evolving with each use. Early pilot programs, like one with Dutch energy firm Van Vulpen, have demonstrated promising results in accelerating onboarding and enhancing execution consistency. Europe has seen over 15 million technical jobs disappear in the past two decades due to factors like an aging workforce, inadequate training, and automation. Perry’s “people-first AI” approach seeks to democratize the knowledge of top technicians, making it accessible in the field when it matters most.
Biorce Secures €5M to Accelerate Clinical Trials with AI
Spanish health tech startup Biorce has successfully raised €5 million from Norrsken VC, bringing its total funding to €8.5 million in just over a year. Biorce’s core product, Jarvis, is an AI-native platform designed to optimize clinical trials by assisting sponsors in designing better protocols, selecting smarter sites, and preventing delays before they occur.
Clinical trials, a $150 billion market, are frequently plagued by delays and cost overruns. Jarvis addresses the upstream planning chaos, where a significant 70% of trials falter before even commencing. In real-world applications, Jarvis has already demonstrated its ability to reduce protocol amendments by 50% and shorten timelines by 25%. Backed by various investors, Biorce is rapidly expanding its operations beyond Spain to the UK and the Nordics, with plans for a U.S. launch. Founders Clara Bernardes and Pedro Coelho developed Jarvis to streamline drug development, ultimately aiming for “faster trials, faster cures.”
Orchestrating Success: AI Agents and Trust in the Deployment Era
The current landscape signifies a shift from AI experimentation to deployment. As generative AI agents move from assistance to autonomous action, the need for robust orchestration and oversight becomes paramount. Initiatives like #LeadWithAIAgents aim to equip teams with the knowledge and tools for effective AI agent orchestration within a global community.
However, the autonomous nature of GenAI agents also presents a critical challenge: silent failures. When failures are invisible, traditional controls may prove insufficient, leading to risks like “hallucinated approvals” or “rogue automation.” Tumeryk’s AI Trust Score™ offers a solution by providing real-time observability of GenAI behavior, including scoring trust, detecting drift, and enforcing oversight to mitigate potential “ruin” before it’s too late.
The era of AI deployment demands not only innovation but also meticulous management and trust.
For more: Meta Invests $3.5B in Eyewear
