About this episode
A single company, EssilorLuxottica, owns so much of the eyewear industry that it’s hard to escape their gravitational pull — or their “obscene” markups. Should regulators do something? Can Warby Parker steal market share? And how did Ray-Bans become a luxury brand? (Part one of a two-part series .) SOURCES: Neil Blumenthal , co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker. Dave Gilboa , co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker. Jessica Glasscock , fashion historian and lecturer at the Parsons School of Design. Neil Handley , curator of the British Optical Association Museum at the College of Optometrists. Ryan McDevitt , professor of economics at Duke University. Cédric Rossi , equity research analyst at Bryan Garnier. Tim Wu , professor of law, science and technology at Columbia Law School. RESOURCES: " Leonardo Del Vecchio Dies at 87; Transformed Eyeglass Industry ," by Jonathan Kandell ( The New York Times, 2022). Making a Spectacle: A Fashionable History of Glasses , by Jessica Glasscock (2021). " Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal: A Vision for Business ," by Lucy Handley ( CNBC, 2020). " The Roots of Big Tech Run Disturbingly Deep ," by Tim Wu and Stuart A. Thompson ( The New York Times, 2019). " The Spectacular Power of Big Lens ," by Sam Knight ( The Guardian, 2018). The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age , by Tim Wu (2018). " Statement of the Federal Trade Commission Concerning the Proposed Acquisition of Luxottica Group S.p.A. by Essilor International (Compagnie Generale d’Optique) S.A. ," FTC File No. 171-0060 (2018). Cult Eyewear: The World's Enduring Classics , by Neil Handley (2011). A Far-Sighted Man , by Luca Goldoni (1991). EXTRAS: " Direct-to-Consumer Mattresses ," by The Economics of Everyday Things (2024). " Are Two C.E.O.s Better Than One? " by Freakonomics Radio (2023). “ Are We in a Mattress-Store Bubble? ” by Freakonomics Radio (2016). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.