Warby Parker jumps an eye-popping 17% as investors cheer its AI glasses partnership with Google

Tech companies just can’t seem to envision a future without smart glasses.

Warby Parker surged 17% in afternoon trading on Tuesday after announcing a partnership with Google to develop AI-powered glasses, set to launch sometime after 2025. The tech giant will reportedly invest up to $150 million into the product.

Just how the glasses will be AI-powered still seems up in the air, though Warby CEO David Gilboa in a press release said the devices will offer “real-time context and intelligence” that will augment a wearer’s surroundings.

The move appears to be an effort by Google to grab a chunk of Meta’s relative success with its Ray-Ban smart glasses, though the wearable tech in general tends to fizzle out after a brief hype stage. In February, Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica said it had sold 2 million pairs of the smart glasses since their launch in October 2023.

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Max Knoblauch25m

Ford reportedly in talks to buy hybrid vehicle batteries from Chinese auto giant BYD

Detroit’s Ford and China’s BYD are said to be in ongoing talks to partner on an agreement that would see Ford buy hybrid vehicle batteries from BYD, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal.

The report comes just days after President Trump toured a Ford factory in Michigan and implied openness to Chinese automakers coming to the US.

“If they want to come in and build a plant... that’s great, I love that,” Trump said on January 13. “Let China come in, let Japan come in.”

Last week, China’s Geely Automobile Holdings said it expects to make an announcement about expanding into the US within the next three years. Chinese carmakers currently face huge tariffs and software restrictions, effectively barring their vehicles from the US.

Ford has doubled down on hybrid vehicles amid high EV costs and the end of federal EV tax credits. The automaker is currently building a battery plant in Michigan where it plans to use tech from Chinese battery maker CATL.

Exclusive | Ford, China’s BYD in Talks for Hybrid-Vehicle Batteries After EV Market Flames Out

“If they want to come in and build a plant... that’s great, I love that,” Trump said on January 13. “Let China come in, let Japan come in.”

Still life of Ozempic and Wegovy with weight scale.

Lawsuit alleges Lilly, Novo locked up telehealth to kill compounded GLP-1s

Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar estimated that around 1.5 million US patients are using compounded versions of the company’s drugs.

J. Edward Moreno2h

Big Pharma enters 2026 with an appetite for deals

At the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, biotechs and Big Pharma signaled they’re primed for M&A this year, after a big year for deals in 2025.

J. Edward Moreno1/14/26

Claire Yubin Oh

Blitzscale

1/14/26

America’s fastest-growing grocery chain, Aldi, wants to open 180 new stores this year

The German grocer is doubling down on its American ambitions, aiming for 3,200 stores by 2028.

Hyunsoo Rim

plane selling

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Boeing overtook Airbus on aircraft orders in 2025 after years of turmoil

A wave of airline deals pushed the US plane maker ahead of its European counterpart for the first time since 2018.

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