Avi Schiffmann just launched Friend 2.0, giving the loneliness-fighting AI necklace a built-in speaker for real-time voice conversations. But the talkative pendant now costs $249, up steeply from its original $99 price tag. Why it matters: In a graveyard of failed AI wearables, Friend is doubling down on emotional companionship over productivity, betting users will pay premium prices for a digital confidant.
Friend founder Avi Schiffmann just showed up at a New York protest against his own $129 AI companion pendant, where critics shredded cardboard cutouts chanting "get real friends." The backlash followed a million-dollar subway ad blitz. Schiffmann leaned into the drama, talking to protesters and pledging never to sell out to Big Tech for surveillance.
Avi Schiffmann just unveiled Friend, a $99 screenless AI pendant built solely for emotional companionship. The Bluetooth necklace constantly listens to your day and texts you like a real friend rather than helping with work, backed by $2.5M in funding with shipments slated for January 2025.
