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Friend (AI Device)
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About
Friend is an AI pin device in the form of a pendant that communicates with the wearer by sending them messages or push notifications with its opinions regarding what is going on. After a reveal trailer for the device was released on July 30th, 2024, the startup became a subject of memes and discussions, with the founder spending $1.8 million of the initial investment to acquire the Friend.com domain name spawning jokes and memes.
History
Friend is a wearable artificial intelligence device in the form of a pendant that communicates with the wearer via text messages and push notifications, sharing opinions about what is going on around it and "talking" to the user.[1]
On July 30th, 2024, the founder of the Friend startup Avi Schiffmann (@AviSchiffmann) posted a reveal trailer for the device on X[2] / Twitter and YouTube[3] (shown below). On X / Twitter, the trailer garnered over 11.8 million views, 8,100 reposts and 10,000 likes in one day.
introducing friend. not imaginary.
order now at https://t.co/7kGiH5pQVK pic.twitter.com/qU58xNvX5v— Avi (@AviSchiffmann) July 30, 2024
Later on July 30th, Avi Schiffmann wrote on X[4] / Twitter that the startup paid $1.8 million of the initial investment money for the friend.com domain, with the initial investment amount reported to be at $2.5 million.[5]

Online Reactions
The product became a viral subject of discussions on social media in the hours following the release of the trailer, with the founder's $1.8 million investment to acquire the friend.com domain name becoming a prominent subject of jokes.
On July 30th, 2024, tech YouTuber Marques "MKBHD" Brownlee replied to the trailer, commenting, "Wait this isn't a skit?" The reply, followed by an exchange between Brownlee and Schiffmann, received over 270 reposts and 18,000 likes on X[6] in one day (shown below).

Various memes mocking the founder of the startup over spending a large portion of the investment on a domain name were circulated on X / Twitter in late July 2024. For example, on July 31st, 2024, X[7] user @growing_daniel posted an Ouhhh… Husbant… meme that received over 3,300 reposts in one day (shown below, left).


On July 30th, Nik Shevchenko, a founder of a competing AI pin startup also called Friend, posted a diss rap video that accumulated over 645,000 views, 330 reposts and 2,400 likes on X[8] in one day (shown below). The diss also became a part of the discussions related to the product.
Congrats @AviSchiffmann for launching Friend pic.twitter.com/3Vg2ts0XdS
— Nik Shevchenko (@kodjima33) July 31, 2024
Various Examples






Search Interest
External References
[1] Wikipedia – Wear This AI Friend Around Your Neck
[2] X – @AviSchiffmann
[3] YouTube – Friend Reveal Trailer
[4] X – @AviSchiffmann
[5] X – @evisdrenova
[7] X – @growing_daniel
[8] X – @kodjima33
Recent Videos
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Top Comments
Nox Lucis
Jul 31, 2024 at 10:27AM EDT
DavidM
Jul 31, 2024 at 11:19AM EDT