Notoriety is 🔥

Wired just dropped their review of the 'Friend' AI companion device.

Go read the article (link below).

Most brands would recoil in horror if this was written about their product.

Wired said of Friend founder Avi Schiffmann:

"Schiffmann can be brash, snarky, and vocally unconcerned about critical feedback, and it seems like that attitude has carried over to the device he has infused with his essence."

And yet, this is how great products and companies are made.

Look at the best companies in history and you’ll see it clearly:

- Apple reflected Jobs’ obsession with simplicity and taste.
- Tesla reflected Musk’s intensity and contrarian streak.
- Basecamp reflected Fried and Heinemeier Hansson’s belief in “less is more.”

That personality is what cuts through. It gives a product character. It creates loyalty. It turns users into believers.

When a founder (or a team) hides behind playbooks and “best practices,” the product feels like everything else. Safe. Polished. Forgettable.

But when you let personality bleed into design, marketing, even customer support, people notice.

They may not always agree, but they remember.

Wired Friend review (paywalled)