Katie Notopoulos

Meta is considering bringing facial recognition to Ray-Bans. It thinks we’re too distracted to notice.

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Since Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses launched in 2021, there’s always been a lingering, controversial question about whether they could be used for facial recognition.

The question has surfaced again more recently, according to a New York Times report on Friday. And this time, the story says, there’s a reason the company thinks it could add facial recognition without kicking up too much of a fuss: because we’re all busy worried about so many other things going on in the world.

It’s not clear whether Meta will follow through on the plans. “While we frequently hear about the interest in this type of feature — and some products already exist in the market — we’re still thinking through options and will take a thoughtful approach if and before we roll anything out,” Erin Logan, a Meta spokesperson, told Business Insider in a statement.

Since their launch, the Meta Ray-Ban glasses have been a surprise hit, with Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica saying it tripled sales in 2025 and is struggling to keep up with demand.

In 2024, some Harvard students rigged Meta Ray-Bans to perform facial recognition by sending camera photos to a third-party service for scanning. At the time, Meta was adamant that people understand the glasses themselves weren’t performing facial recognition, and that this wasn’t a capability of the device itself. Which was true, but a truth somewhat orthogonal to the public horror about the idea of people using facial recognition glasses in public.

Thus far, legal and privacy issues surrounding facial recognition, not technical limitations, have kept the feature at bay. So what’s changed?

The New York Times viewed a document that gives us a clue:

Meta’s internal memo said the political tumult in the United States was good timing for the feature’s release.
“We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns,” according to the document from Meta’s Reality Labs, which works on hardware including smart glasses.

This is straight out of the playbook for a celebrity announcing their divorce during the Super Bowl to minimize attention. Basically, at least one person at Meta was apparently considering the fact that — waves hands — so many other horrors are going on in the world that people will be too distracted to focus on this.

And what, exactly, might this unnamed Meta person be assuming are the “other concerns” keeping civil society groups’ resources focused? I have some ideas:

Frankly, any of these is a big enough distraction to keep me from complaining about facial-recognition glasses!




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Taylor Rains

Delta’s order for Boeing 787 Dreamliners puts United and American on notice. Here’s why.

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Delta Air Lines is entering its Dreamliner era.

Its order of up to 60 Boeing 787-10 planes reinforces Delta’s broader strategy of competing aggressively for premium long-haul travelers — a segment that has made the transatlantic market increasingly lucrative.

The new planes for long-haul routes will add pressure on US rivals American and United, which are also competing for the same international travelers, especially those in premium cabins that generate the most profit for airlines, including Delta.

Delta is hoping for a bigger piece of that pie.

It said the new 787 cabins will feature its signature Delta One business class alongside premium economy and standard coach. United has been particularly aggressive with niche transatlantic routes, while American has rolled out a new business-class product on its Dreamliners.

Delta’s new jets won’t arrive until the next decade. Until then, Delta will continue flying its aging 767s, which the Dreamliners will eventually replace.

Delta President Glen Hauenstein said in the airline’s earnings call on Tuesday that the 787 is a “financially great airplane” that offers enhanced cargo capacity, improved fuel efficiency, and ample space for those all-important premium cabins.

Meanwhile, Hauenstein said the airline would grow capacity by 3% this year, with new seat growth concentrated in premium cabins.

Delta didn’t disclose how much it was paying for the new planes.

It’s the airline’s first direct order of the popular jet, which has garnered more than 2,000 global orders. It represents a shift in its long-haul fleet strategy. Delta bought 30 and has options for 30 more.

The 787 will complement Delta’s Airbus widebodies

Delta’s purchase of Boeing 787s is significant for an airline that has long been dominated by Airbus on the widebody side.

The airline inherited a 787 order through its merger with Northwest Airlines back in 2008, but canceled it in 2016, citing delays, quality issues, and a preference for Airbus.

It opted for Airbus A330neo and A350-900 as its next-generation long-haul workhorses, and it expects to receive the larger A350-1000 later this year.

The addition of the 787‑10 diversifies and further modernizes the fleet. The variant ordered is the largest of the Dreamliner family, seating up to 336 passengers, but has the shortest range at roughly 7,300 miles.

Still, it outpaces the aging Boeing 767s that Hauenstein said the Dreamliner is set to replace, meaning it can carry more passengers more efficiently on both existing and new long-haul routes.

Delta’s 767s primarily fly to Europe and South America, where the airline said the 787 would be an “ideal addition.”

The order is a notable boost in confidence for Boeing, which has faced labor strikes, a change in leadership, and significant quality control issues for years — including on the 787 — but is gradually rebuilding trust from customers, investors, and regulators.

Delta made billions of dollars in 2025

The 787 deal comes alongside Delta’s better-than-expected earnings report for the fourth quarter and full-year 2025.

Its net income was about $5 billion, largely driven by continued strong premium and corporate demand, though main‑cabin ticket revenue fell about 7% year-over-year.

The airline previously said the government shutdown shaved roughly $200 million off its pre-tax profit after regulators forced airlines to reduce flying by 10% to alleviate congestion and ensure safety.

Delta’s stock slipped after its earnings report, but it has still gained about 6% over the past year.




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