Take a look at your smartphone. The chances are incredibly high that the sheets of glass covering the front and back come from a company called Corning. You almost certainly know it by its more famous brand name: Gorilla Glass.
Since the launch of the original iPhone back in 2007, Corning’s glass has dominated the smartphone industry. Its glass is so ubiquitous that it’s become the default material for nearly every major phone on the market, including the most recent iPhone 17 series, Samsung Galaxy S25 series, Pixel 10 series, and many more. Despite this, Corning is a notoriously secretive company. Its research and development facilities are tightly controlled, with access granted to a select few.