Global eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica has been named at No. 8 on a list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025.
The list was published by FastCompany.com, which provides coverage of “leadership and innovation in business, environmental and social issues, entertainment and marketing”.
EssilorLuxottica was the only eyewear company named on the list, which was topped by Waymo, a San Francisco-based enterprise with a fleet of more than 300 autonomous cars – often called robotaxis.
FastCompany said EssilorLuxottica was on the list “for making smart glasses cool”.
Mr Francesco Milleri, chairman and CEO of EssilorLuxottica, said: “Eyewear has to first look beautiful. It’s a way you express your personality.”
In a release, FastCompany said it was this mantra that finally brought augmented reality mainstream, in the form of the “sleek Ray-Ban Meta glasses”, which launched in late 2023 and come in three frames, including the classic Wayfarer.
“Just a tad bulkier than your typical, non-CPU’d frames, Ray-Ban Metas feature a video-equipped camera, surprisingly decent speakers, and a microphone for chatting with a friend on WhatsApp or voice-activating the Meta AI chat assistant.
“The second-generation frames (a more limited-function version launched in 2021) outsold their predecessor’s two-year run in just nine months, according to EssilorLuxottica, and have sold 2 million pairs as of press time.”
FastCompany went on to applaud other EssilorLuxottica moves, including its 2023 acquisition of Israeli start-up Nuance Hearing.
The company recently launched the Nuance Audio glasses, which double as over-the-counter hearing aids. It also bought a controlling stake in healthcare imaging firm Heidelberg Engineering and, in December, announced plans to buy Espansione Group, manufacturer of optical diagnostic instruments.
Milleri predicts future frames will offer expanded health-tracking features, even retina examinations that could detect signs of diabetes.
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