Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, Warby Parker Co-Founders and Co-CEOs

Warby Parker co-Founders and co-CEOs Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa discuss growing the eyewear brand with a focus on social impact and how they’ve combined technology and in-store interaction to create a distinct customer experience.

Gilboa on the future of retail: “We tell our team retail is not dead, mediocre retail is dead.… Many [legacy retailers] have not changed their consumer offering in a world that is changing faster than ever where consumers have more choice than ever. And we’re finding that our customers love going into our stores.… And I think that comes down to having an offering where it’s a product that people want to buy that offers great value.”

Blumenthal on the power of technology for the consumer: “All these technology platforms are just leveraging existing human behavior, right? People want to talk about great experiences. It’s delightful when something is unexpectedly positive and we’ve always wanted to create branded experiences that do put a smile on someone’s face.”