• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium

2

'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America

3

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts

1

Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium

2

'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America

3

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts
FinanceSNAP

Snapchat Thought People Would Want to Wear Its Sunglasses. It Was Wrong

Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 7, 2017, 6:29 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

If you’ve seen more ads for Snap spectacles than people wearing a pair on the street, you’re not alone.

Snap, the parent company of disappearing photo app Snapchat, revealed that it had overestimated demand for its $130 sunglasses-and-camera hybrid Tuesday. During the company’s third quarter earnings report, the company revealed $39.9 million in losses stemming from unsold Spectacles.

“Because we were so excited, we made I guess the wrong decision,” CEO Evan Spiegel said during the company’s Tuesday earnings call, saying that Snap overestimated demand for the glasses, and overbought parts from suppliers to make those glasses.

Drew Vollero, chief financial officer of the company, noted in prepared remarks that the near $40 million charge factors in both the cost of canceling orders from Spectacles’ suppliers, and the cost of storing the unsold Spectacles—including warehouse rent for example.

“Moving forward, we will continue to be in the market place with Spectacles and expect modest revenue from the product line,” said Vollero in prepared statements.

That came as Snap’s stock shed almost 20% in after hours trading Tuesday. Snap disappointed investors after revealing worse-than-expected earnings in the third quarter of 2017. The company’s overall loss was $443.2 million or 36 cents a share on revenue of $207.9 million per share. Wall Street had anticipated loss of $393.8 million or 32 cents a share on revenue of $235.5 million.

Notably, the Spectacles accounted for about 9% of Snap’s losses in the quarter.

Though the company has dubbed the losses related to the Spectacles as a non-recurring expense, the company could still post a loss in the future in relation to the product if it again misjudges demand.

The company will continue to sell Spectacles. But its potential consumer base is not growing as fast as expected, with Daily Active User base of 178 million in the third quarter versus 181.8 million expected.

The loss stemming from Spectacles is also a reversal for CEO Evan Spiegel. In an October interview at the Vanity Fair new Establishment Summit, Spiegel said that he believed hardware would be the future.

“Our view is that hardware is going to be an important vehicle for delivering our customer experience maybe in a decade,” he said at the time, saying roughly 150,000 Spectacles had been sold — above the firm’s estimates. “But if we believe it’s going to be important in a decade, we don’t want to be starting a decade from now.”

Today, Spiegel gave analyst a more sobering outlook.

“We plan on avoiding a similar mistake in the future,” Spiegel said.

About the Author
Lucinda Shen
By Lucinda Shen
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Trump’s time is running out to avoid a nightmare Strait of Hormuz scenario
EnergyIran
Trump’s time is running out to avoid a nightmare Strait of Hormuz scenario
By Jordan BlumJuly 12, 2026
58 minutes ago
3 reasons Bitcoin is stuck in a bear market—and why one analyst predicts a rebound to $100,000 by year-end
CryptoBitcoin
3 reasons Bitcoin is stuck in a bear market—and why one analyst predicts a rebound to $100,000 by year-end
By Camila Grigera NaónJuly 12, 2026
1 hour ago
The U.S. and Iran can’t agree on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The solution could be straight out of the Old Testament
Middle EastIran
The U.S. and Iran can’t agree on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The solution could be straight out of the Old Testament
By Jason MaJuly 11, 2026
8 hours ago
U.S. military strikes Iran in response to attack on civilian vessel in Strait of Hormuz that Tehran said was using an ‘unauthorized route’
EnergyIran
U.S. military strikes Iran in response to attack on civilian vessel in Strait of Hormuz that Tehran said was using an ‘unauthorized route’
By Jon Gambrell, Michelle L. Price, Will Weissert and The Associated PressJuly 11, 2026
8 hours ago
Homes are in short supply in the U.S. How a new law could change the market
Real EstateHousing
Homes are in short supply in the U.S. How a new law could change the market
By Katy O'Donnell and BloombergJuly 11, 2026
9 hours ago
The rise of white-collar socialists: ‘A lot of tech workers are working class’
EconomyLabor
The rise of white-collar socialists: ‘A lot of tech workers are working class’
By Jason MaJuly 11, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium
Environment
Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 10, 2026
2 days ago
'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America
Banking
'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 11, 2026
21 hours ago
Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts
Success
Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts
By Emma BurleighJuly 9, 2026
3 days ago
Americans are quietly abandoning the daily habit that billionaires say set them up for success—and it could have lasting consequences
Success
Americans are quietly abandoning the daily habit that billionaires say set them up for success—and it could have lasting consequences
By Preston ForeJuly 11, 2026
21 hours ago
U.S. Treasury has borrowed $155 billion every month of this fiscal year—and is now paying $24 billion a week in interest on its debts
Economy
U.S. Treasury has borrowed $155 billion every month of this fiscal year—and is now paying $24 billion a week in interest on its debts
By Eleanor PringleJuly 10, 2026
2 days ago
Top Iranian officials admitted to the supreme leader that the U.S. naval blockade was crushing the economy, report says, as Trump eyes reimposing it
Middle East
Top Iranian officials admitted to the supreme leader that the U.S. naval blockade was crushing the economy, report says, as Trump eyes reimposing it
By Jason MaJuly 10, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.