How Warby Parker’s Dave Gilboa Built a Billion-Dollar Business

A 20x markup. Vertical integration across manufacturing, retail, and insurance. One company controlling 80% of the market. Most investors would see Luxottica's dominance of the eyewear market and walk away. Dave Gilboa and his co-founders saw the opportunity of a lifetime. In this episode, Warby Parker's co-CEO breaks down the strategic decisions that turned a business school insight into a multi-billion dollar public company, and why the playbook still works in 2026. Dave shares the lessons he’s learned in spotting market inefficiency, timing entry during crisis, building defensible moats in commodity categories, and positioning for platform shifts before they're obvious. He also discusses Warby Parker's partnership with Google and Samsung to build AI-powered glasses and the hardware play that positions them at the center of what he believes will be “the first form factor native to the AI era.” It's a strategic pivot that could 10x their addressable market. For investors making high-stakes allocation decisions in consumer tech, DTC, or AI hardware, this conversation offers rare insight into how disruption actually scales. For more, read Liz’s column every Thursday at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On The Money⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by SoFi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow Liz on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@LizThomasStrat⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Additional resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On The Money⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Sign up for SoFi's newsletter for intel, insights, and inspo to help you get your money right. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Investing 101 Center⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: At SoFi, we believe investing is for everyone — which is why we’ve created a hub with info for beginners and experts alike. Start exploring to get investment education, advice, resources, and more. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wealth Investing Guide⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Information you need to know to make your money work harder for you. This podcast should be used for informational purposes only and not deemed as a recommendation. Our Automated investing is via SoFi Wealth LLC, and is a registered investment advisor. Our Active investing is via SoFi securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest® platforms, please visit www.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SoFi.com/Legal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ©2026 Social Finance, Inc. All Rights Reserved.