Apple, Google and Meta decided the problem with computers wasn't that they existed on desks and in pockets. The problem was they weren't strapped to your skull.
So now we get AI wearables. Devices that listen to everything you say, watch everything you do, and send that data to companies with stellar track records on privacy. Nothing could go wrong.
The headline mentions a weird IPO pull. Some company building these surveillance bracelets apparently looked at market conditions and said "you know what, maybe we shouldn't let retail traders value our dystopian gadget business right now." Smart move. Why go public when you can stay private and collect biometric data without quarterly earnings calls?
The breakout moment keeps stalling because nobody wants to wear a computer on their face in public. Turns out Google Glass failed for a reason. That reason being you look like an a**hole.
But the big three tech companies keep pushing. They've invested billions into devices that make you look like you're cosplaying a Black Mirror episode. The pitch is always the same: "This time it's different because AI." The AI will make it useful. The AI will make it cool. The AI will definitely not use your location data and conversation history to serve you ads for divorce lawyers after you argue with your spouse.
Privacy concerns are growing. No sh*t. People are concerned about wearing always-on microphones and cameras made by companies that already know too much. Weird how that works.
The tainted reputation mentioned in the headline probably refers to every previous attempt at this product category eating concrete. But Silicon Valley has a simple solution to tainted reputations: rebrand the same idea with "AI" in front of it.
Retail traders will still buy the stock when these companies IPO, convinced they're early to the next iPhone moment, completely missing that the iPhone succeeded because people wanted it.
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