Meta CTO Explains Causes Behind Smart Glasses Demo Glitches
Key Points
- Andrew Bosworth identified a self‑inflicted DDoS as the cause of the Live AI cooking demo glitch.
- The command "Hey Meta, start Live AI" unintentionally activated every glasses unit in the venue.
- A previously unknown display‑sleep bug prevented Mark Zuckerberg from answering a WhatsApp video call.
- Both software issues have been fixed ahead of wider product release.
- Bosworth confirmed that the hardware is not at fault and that core features remain functional.
Meta's Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, detailed the technical mishaps that disrupted the company's recent smart‑glasses showcase. A live cooking demo suffered a massive traffic overload that effectively DDoS'd Meta's own servers, while a separate video‑call demonstration failed due to an unexpected display‑sleep bug. Bosworth clarified that the issues were software‑related, not hardware defects, and confirmed that the problems have been resolved ahead of broader product rollout.
Overview of the Demonstration Failures
During Meta's high‑profile smart‑glasses unveiling, two separate demonstrations did not work as intended. The first involved a cooking influencer who asked the device’s Live AI to guide him through a Korean‑inspired steak sauce recipe. Instead of receiving step‑by‑step instructions, the AI skipped ahead, causing confusion. The second demonstration featured Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attempting to answer a WhatsApp video call on the Ray‑Ban Display. While the audience could see the incoming call notification, the glasses would not allow him to answer.
Technical Root Causes
Bosworth explained that the cooking demo problem stemmed from an unexpected surge in Live AI traffic. When the influencer said, “Hey Meta, start Live AI,” the command activated every Meta Ray‑Ban device present in the venue. Because the event featured a large number of glasses, the cumulative requests were routed to a development server that was not sized for such volume. The result was a self‑inflicted denial‑of‑service condition, which Bosworth described as “we DDoS’d ourselves.” This overload caused the AI to malfunction and skip steps in the recipe.
The video‑call issue originated from a “never‑before‑seen bug” that put the display to sleep at the exact moment a call notification arrived. Even after waking the display manually, the system offered no option to answer the call. Bosworth emphasized that this bug was not observed during rehearsals because the display sleep behavior only manifested under the specific timing of an incoming call.
Resolution and Future Outlook
Both problems have been addressed. The traffic‑routing configuration for Live AI has been corrected to prevent a repeat of the overload, and the display‑sleep bug has been fixed in software updates. Bosworth reassured that the underlying hardware remains sound and that Meta’s smart‑glasses capabilities, including video calling and AI assistance, are functional and ready for broader deployment. The company plans to continue refining the user experience before scaling the products to consumers.