Former Alibaba executive left to start a business, “burned” 2 billion in ten years! Now ranks No. 1 globally.

We often say that AI is reshaping life, not just the various applications we use daily; as AI technology continues to iterate, an entirely new business ecosystem is constantly spawning new opportunities.

Many products may be ones you have never encountered or experienced, yet they have already quickly gained popularity in overseas markets.

AI glasses are exactly such a sub-sector with huge potential.

Image source: Google

On this crowded track that brings together major players such as Apple, Google, and Samsung as well as more than 30 domestic manufacturers, a brand from Hangzhou had already set its course years ago.

It isRokid。

So, from a fledgling small brand to overpowering rivals and reaching No. 1 globally, how exactly did Rokid do it?

Image source: Google

Alibaba executive departs, betting on the next generation of human-computer interaction

Rokid's story began with a 'departure' in 2014.

Its founder, Mr. Zhu, was formerly the head of Alibaba M Studio and had deep expertise at the forefront of human-computer interaction.

The catalyst for all the changes came from the Google I/O developer conference he attended in 2012. There, the experience brought by Google Glass deeply inspired him, and he became convinced that AR and spatial computing would become the next generation of human-computer interaction.

So, in 2014, he resolutely chose to leave Alibaba and founded the Rokid brand in Hangzhou. He quickly assembled senior talent from major companies such as Alibaba and Huawei, simultaneously launched voice interaction prototype R&D, and set up three R&D centers in Hangzhou, Beijing, and Silicon Valley.

In 2016, Rokid released its first-generation intelligent companion robot Alien; in 2017, it launched the portable AI speaker Pebble.

After accumulating a deep technical foundation in voice interaction, the team, optimistic about the AR/AI glasses track, gradually shifted its business focus to the R&D of AR/AI glasses.

Image source: Google

Ten years to forge a sword; product strength comes first

Making smart glasses is essentially an extreme tug-of-war between functionality and weight.

Piling on features inevitably increases product weight and causes power consumption to soar; while merely simplifying will reduce the product to a mediocre electronic toy and lose market competitiveness.

How to make smart glasses return to the origin of 'glasses' and enable all-day, burden-free wearing became Rokid's primary R&D goal.

Image source: Google

Because ordinary glasses mostly weigh between 20 and 60g, at the start of the project Rokid set a 49g weight red line and used it as the baseline for continuous lightweight trade-offs.

Over the past decade, the brand has invested more than 2 billion yuan in R&D, with R&D personnel accounting for 60% of the team.

From the split-type first-generation Rokid Glass to the integrated Glass 2, from the first split-type monocular waveguide AR glasses to the mass-market Rokid Air, the products have continuously approached the ideal form through ongoing iteration.

The real breakout point came in 2025. With seamless switching support for multiple large models such as Gemini, ChatGPT, Qwen, and DeepSeek, as well as practical features like real-time subtitle translation, navigation, and teleprompting, Rokid Glasses instantly ignited the market.

Image source: Rokid

By July of that year, sales of Rokid Glasses had already exceeded 300,000 units, reaching 3 times the original target; at the same time, it repeatedly set new fundraising records on Japan's Makuake and the zeczec crowdfunding platform in China's Taiwan region.

It is exactly this continuous product exploration that helped Rokid quickly build an irreplaceable core moat.

Online and offline, omnichannel penetration

With strong core competitiveness in the product, channel building became key to global commercialization.

To reach potential consumers worldwide and create a shopping experience available anywhere, it is necessary to build a diversified and broadly covering overseas channel system.

On the online side, Rokid uses its Shopify independent site as the brand's core base, mainly handling global direct pre-orders and crowdfunding landing orders, and shortens delivery times by pairing with overseas warehouses, thereby building up private-domain users and continuously improving repeat purchases and reputation.

Image source: Rokid

At the same time, it has expanded onto Amazon, entering core marketplaces such as the United States and Germany, with a focus on deeply cultivating Amazon Germany, covering mature European and American consumer markets, and using the platform's search traffic to capture search-driven buyers.

Image source: Amazon

However, as a product with a strong experience attribute, it is difficult to persuade users to complete a purchase through online alone; offline channels are equally crucial.

To this end, Rokid adopted a cooperation model of high-end department stores + pop-ups at optical stores, providing consumers with in-person try-on experiences.

For example, the UK's Selfridges high-end department store, Hong Kong's Optical 88 optical stores, and the Philippines' SM Mall of Asia pop-up store are all important offline customer acquisition touchpoints for the brand.

Image source: Google

This integrated online-and-offline omnichannel layout also enabled Rokid to deliver impressive market results.

According to the latest data released by global technology market research and consulting firm Omdia:

In 2025, Rokid ranked second in the global AI glasses all-category and first among Chinese brands; in the AI glasses subcategory with displays, it even successfully topped the global ranking at No. 1.

Relying onShort videos creating waves，Reconstructing product perception

Overseas users themselves are passionate about portable viewing and mobile gaming, and products like Rokid's smart AI glasses naturally fit TikTok's short-video ecosystem, allowing content on the platform to drive viral spread and effectively reducing the brand's cold-start costs.

On TikTok, the brand established the account @rokid_global, which has reached 50,700 followers. Although the account's follower base is not large, the content is polished very well.

Image source: TikTok

The account produces creative short videos around diverse usage scenarios of AI glasses, covering indoor and outdoor environments such as bedrooms, airplane cabins, mountains, and seasides, using rich and authentic usage footage to reshape users' perception of the product and spark anticipation.

Since operations began, 21 videos have surpassed one million views, with the highest single video exceeding 10 million views, precisely capturing short-video users' content preferences.

Image source: TikTok

In addition to continuous content output from its own main account, collaboration with vertical category influencers is another core strategy for Rokid, reaching more highly intent, precisely targeted potential consumers through influencers.

On TikTok, tech influencer @Hunter | Tech & Gaming, who has 243,800 followers, shot a creative recommendation video for Rokid's smart AI glasses.

Image source: TikTok

This video starts from everyday pain points, opening with a scene of scrolling on a phone or watching a movie while lying down, when the phone easily slips and hits your face, then shows the upgraded experience after wearing Rokid's AI glasses.

No matter whether sitting or lying down, putting on the glasses lets you start watching on a large screen.

Currently, this video has received 1.9 million views and 150,600 likes, sparking interaction and discussion in the comments among many interested users.

This broad scenario-based exposure can continuously expand brand awareness; when overseas users intuitively feel that the product can simplify life and improve comfort, their purchase intention will also significantly increase.

Image source: TikTok

Conclusion

From Rokid's growth trajectory, it can be seen that for a Chinese brand to establish itself in overseas markets, it needs not only technological leadership, but also a grasp of local market rhythms and meticulous cultivation of channels.

For many domestic companies that are considering or have already entered overseas business, there are still a large number of unmet segmented needs in the current global market.

Whether leveraging mature e-commerce platforms or building brand awareness through social media, the key is to find a path suited to one's own product characteristics and dare to make long-term investments in products and channels.

As long as they identify product features and continue to build up, domestic brands have every opportunity to gain their own users overseas.