Li-Chen Miller, now the face of Meta’s AI-powered glasses, began her journey with a cold email in late 2021 to Alex Himel, Meta’s head of wearables. In her email, Miller offered thoughtful feedback on the Ray-Ban Stories, highlighting both the device’s strengths and areas for improvement. Himel later recounted to Bloomberg, “She wrote me an email that articulated what she thought was good about the device and what was promising, and then a longer list of things that she would improve.” This proactive approach led Miller to land a job as vice president of product at Meta’s wearables division.
The recent success of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which have sold more units in just a few months than the older model did in two years, reflects the positive impact of such candid feedback. The turnaround can also be attributed to hiring talent from competitors and learning from their critiques.
Miller, who stepped into her role at Meta in 2022 after nearly two decades at Microsoft, where she was corporate vice president of Search, Experiences, and Devices, had even shared the stage with CEO Satya Nadella during a 2017 keynote event. Her insightful email to Himel was pivotal in her transition to Meta, as he agreed with many of her points.
As Miller prepares to take the stage at Meta’s upcoming Connect event, where new updates for the smart glasses are expected to be announced, the company is clearly committed to the wearables market. Recently, Meta expressed ambitions to “write the history of wearables” by extending its partnership with Ray-Ban beyond 2030. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also praised the Ray-Ban Metas during earnings calls, noting their unexpected sales success. “Ray-Ban Meta glasses continue to be a bigger hit sooner than we expected — thanks in part to AI,” he stated, adding that demand currently outstrips production capabilities.
Miller’s journey illustrates how initiative and insight can open doors in the tech industry, paving the way for innovative advancements in wearable technology.
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