Sergey Brin admits Google Glass flopped because of haste, says he thought he’d be the next Steve Jobs
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has admitted that he brought Google Glass to market a decade ago because he thought the headset could make him ‘the next Steve Jobs’. Brin admitted that this hasty release could have caused Google Glass to fail.
Several years before the rise of current smart glasses like the Meta Rayban, Google took a leap of faith with Google Glass. Launched in 2014, Google Glass was perhaps ahead of its time, and turned out to be a huge commercial failure, as users were not happy with its design or its hefty price tag of $1,500 (about Rs 1,90,000 today). Now, Google co-founder Sergey Brin has admitted that he may have brought the smart glasses to market during his ‘Steve Jobs moment’.
Brin recently spoke at Stanford to mark the institution’s centennial. The Google co-founder spoke candidly about his experience with the launch of Google Glass. He admitted, “I think I tried to commercialize it too quickly.” Sergey Brin stated that the headset was probably not ready for the market when it was launched and that Google should have done more. He explained, “Before, you know, we could make it more, you know, as cost-effective as we needed it to be and as sophisticated as we needed from a consumer standpoint, and so on.”
Sergey Brin thought he could be the next Steve Jobs with Google Glass
Steve Jobs revolutionized the tech industry. The Apple co-founder was behind a plethora of products that redefined the consumer technology sector. The iPhone is arguably the biggest game changer. For Sergey Brin, Google Glass could be the new iPhone, which could change the landscape once again.
Unfortunately, the realization that smart glasses could make him the next Steve Jobs led to the failure of the device. Brin confessed, “You know, I jumped the gun, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’m the next Steve Jobs, I can build this thing. Ta da.'”
What did Sergey Brin learn from the Google Glass failure?
Taking a lesson from Google Glass, he urged students to ensure that they should always mature their latest innovation before sending it to the market. “When you have your cool, new wearable device idea, bake it all the way before you actually do a cool stunt involving skydiving and an airship,” the Google co-founder said. He added, “This is a tip I would give you.”
Google also learned from the mistake. While Google Glass didn’t live up to expectations, the smartglasses field has seen innovation over the past few years. Google is set to launch its latest smartglasses called Project Aura in 2026.