Friend raised pendant prices 93% despite universal backlash
ai wearables startup friend added a speaker to its $129 pendant, raising the price to $249. the move to voice-based companionship ignores widespread criticism of the device's launch.
friend, known for spending $1.8m on the friend.com domain and facing nyc protests over tech dependence, upgraded its wearable with a speaker. the new friend 2.0 voice capability raises the hardware cost from $129 to $249. founder avi schiffmann dismissed the prior backlash, marketing the update despite a 9-month-old protest targeting the brand. this aggressive pricing strategy tests consumer appetite for always-listening ai hardware following the product's initial flop.