As Mark Zuckerberg was ushered into the Los Angeles Superior Court early on Wednesday morning, one accessory in his entourage stood out: Meta Ray-Ban glasses.
Zuckerberg, wearing a navy blue suit and tie, arrived without any glasses. Flanking either side of him as he walked up to the courthouse were longtime executive assistant Andrea Besmehn and an unidentified man donning Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses.
Meta declined to comment about the accessory choice.
AI-powered smart glasses weren’t just a hot accessory in the California sun. They were a hot topic inside the courtroom.
The judge presiding over the trial announced that anyone using glasses to record inside the courtroom would be “held in contempt of the court,” according to CNBC.
This isn’t the first trial where Meta’s glasses have caused issues.
Last year, while Meta battled the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust allegations, New York Times reporter Mike Isaac posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had been reprimanded by the court for wearing Meta Ray-Bans.
do not wear camera glasses in federal buildings folks 😞
— rat king 🐀 (@MikeIsaac) April 15, 2025
Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images; Mike Blake/Reuters
The glasses cameo came as Zuckerberg took the stand in a Los Angeles trial accusing major social media companies of building addictive products that harm young users. The case centers on a now-20-year-old plaintiff, identified in court filings as “KGM,” who alleged that Instagram and YouTube worsened her depression and suicidal thoughts after she started using the apps as a child. TikTok and Snap have already settled, leaving Meta and Google’s YouTube as the remaining defendants in the trial, which could shape similar lawsuits nationwide.
The trial underway in Los Angeles is focused on design features that plaintiffs say keep teens scrolling. Zuckerberg’s testimony follows an earlier appearance from Instagram chief Adam Mosseri.
Meta’s Ray Ban smart glasses have become a surprise hit. On the company’s earnings call last month, Zuckerberg said that sales of the glasses more than tripled in 2025, and compared the moment to the shift from flip phones to smartphones.
Meta has increasingly positioned the glasses as a vehicle for its AI ambitions. In addition to taking pictures and playing music, users can ask questions to Meta AI, Meta’s AI assistant, about anything that they’re looking at through the glasses.
Last week, the New York Times reported that Meta is planning to add facial recognition technology to the glasses.
