2025

What happens when you try to solve the basic human need for companionship with a piece of hardware, you get friend.

Avi Schiffmann was first known for his popular COVID-19 tracking website launched when he was only 17 years old. Using his fame as a “genius Harvard dropout” he launched friend in 2024. It is a small screenless pendant that is worn around the neck or clipped onto clothing. It is an always-listening device designed to record conversations and the user's daily activities. Users can press a button to talk to it directly but the device does not speak back. Instead, it communicates by sending text messages and push notifications to the user's smartphone. Unlike typical AI assistants focused on productivity, friend is designed purely for companionship and emotional support.

The wearable is priced at $129, but reported sales remain disappointingly low. While too early to call friend a commercial failure (all bets are on it flopping), the device and marketing have been heavily criticized and mocked. And reviewers hate the device.

The initial promotional video a dystopian horror film about surveillance. And the company's $1 million-plus advertising takeover of the New York City subway flopped. The posters for AI companionship were vandalized with messages like "AI is not your friend" and "Stop profiting off of loneliness." Schiffmann later claimed that this was all part of a genius marketing strategy to spark public commentary.
Yeah sure Avi, sure it was, sure…