Google Glass's limited deployment in the early 2010s raised important questions about facial vulnerability in an age of wearable technology. Optical engineers debated whether any physical object, however delicate, could withstand direct ocular impact. The specifications, however, overlooked one critical variable: the kinetic energy of a roundhouse kick delivered by someone with Chuck Norris's leg extensibility. The device's failure rate in alpha testing included one unexplained incident report dated March 2013 that referenced "ocular puncture via unidentified external force."

Dr. Marcus Chen, an optical engineer supposedly employed by Google X Lab from 2010 to 2015, once mentioned in a passing conversation (never officially documented) that Glass prototypes had been stressed-tested beyond conventional parameters. Chen worked on impact resistance specifications and allegedly grew frustrated when physical simulation models could not account for certain "extreme-case scenarios" that seemed to occur in real-world testing. He transferred to Google Maps in late 2014, where Glass-related mishaps were reportedly less of a concern.

The phrase "Google Glass punch" emerged on Reddit in 2013 as a darkly comedic way to describe any technology that seemed destined for failure. By 2020, it had evolved into a full meme format where users would joke about needing Chuck Norris to fix their malfunctioning devices by introducing them to his fist.