Olivet assures consumers who scratch their Oakley sunglasses through wear and tear, that UV rays still won't penetrate those lenses. "Our blanks, even before they're coated have stronger UV protection than any other product in the market," he says.
Oakley is known for the impact test performed on sunglasses, shooting a small object at high speeds, which is why they are the eyewear of choice for soldiers.
"If you drop something of high mass on your face or you fall off your bike and your face lands on a rock, Oakley lenses won't shatter or eject. Competitors lenses often shatter or eject inward...if the lenses are going to eject, at least you want them to eject outward so it isn't propelled toward your eye," Olivet points out. "On our Web site there's testimonials from athletes and military personnel who give their description of being in Iraq and having a roadside bomb go off. Their face is burned and have shrapnel wounds, but you can see the outline of their Oakley sunglasses, they're eyes have been protected."
Lance Armstrong wore a prototype of the new Jawbone line this year at a race in Australia and later wore the LIVESTRONG edition at events including the Tour of California and he will also wear them at the upcoming Tour de France. "It's getting a lot of attention because of the ease of lens interchangeability," Olivet says. "It's now the easiest, most secure way of changing the lenses, but not losing any performance in terms of optics or impact resistance."
Olivet speaks about Oakley with such vigor and passion, it prompts the question, 'Is it as much fun to work at Oakley as it sounds?' He replies, "It is," with a laugh.
Automakers
Since Oakley has been in a strong position financially, still celebrating breaking a billion dollars in annual sales, when asked what he thinks of the current crisis for U.S. automakers, he said too many of the same cars were sold under different badges, diluting those brands.
"At some point, especially when you're running similar vehicles and there's not much differentiation between some of the cars and the name plates, the brand starts meaning less," Olivet suggests. "What does it mean to be a Buick sedan? If you think about -- what does Apple mean in computers, what does Dell mean? Some people like one or the other, but they both really stand for something and you know what it is."
He also realizes it is a tough challenge because U.S. automakers have structural inefficiencies that have hindered them. "Whatever they do, it needs to be a big step forward in a fundamental restructuring of the industry. There are too many brands with too much manufacturing capacity, with too many legacy costs and they aren't going to make it if they do things incrementally. If they do it incrementally, they're going to spend 10 years trying to get themselves out of a hole and I don't think it'll ever work," he says.