19 Feb 2025
The short and unhappy life of AI Pin.
Text to speech provided by ElevenLabs AI Solutions.
On November 8, 2023, Humane introduced the AI Pin, a wearable device that promised to redefine how we interact with technology. It was pitched as a sleek, futuristic gadget packed with impressive features: an AI-powered assistant, a laser projector interface, and voice control. Although the hardware looked alien, the hype was real.
What they didn’t talk about [at the time] was the problem they were actually solving. And that was their first mistake.
I wrote about this in two separate articles, analysing the product and its challenges in depth. You can read them here:
01. The AI Pin. Not a product review.
02. The AI Pin. A product review.
What they didn’t talk about [at the time] was the problem they were actually solving. And that was their first mistake.
I wrote about this in two separate articles, analysing the product and its challenges in depth. You can read them here:
01. The AI Pin. Not a product review.
02. The AI Pin. A product review.
Ready? Let’s get on with it.
The tech world, ever hungry for the next disruption, took notice. Humane AI, founded by ex-Apple rockstars, had the street cred, the vision, and the buzz. Investors got excited and poured in over $230 million, fuelling the dream that the AI Pin could rewire how we engage with technology. I was hopeful for a whole minute. But from day one, cracks appeared.
Building markets is expensive.
What do I mean by that? Articulating and validating the problem you are solving is the hardest thing you will ever have to do as an organisation. Being excited about technology and hopeful about the demand is not enough. Having access to capital won't guarantee success either.
Why? In this fight, Humane wasn't in the same category as the opponent. Changing human behaviour is harder than building hardware and writing code. Way harder. It is a different fight altogether. This fight requires more than money and patience; it requires a method and the effort to prime the market for change, the ability to see the true signs, align the moments and act in a way that your solution is not just a distraction but a catalyst for disruption, a way for the market to form around the solution you provide. That's hard as hell.
As I wrote in my product review, Humane AI asked users to abandon deeply ingrained habits: texting in silence, getting triggered and outraged on social media, scrolling in solitude, and scrolling through social feeds while in the bathroom, office, queueing for coffee, or at times when we should be asleep.
Humane AI offered a solution to our addictions: voice interactions. We usually do voice interactions thoughtfully. A clunky projector interface required speaking commands aloud, an experience that quickly looked unnatural, inconvenient, and, somehow, embarrassing. The tech itself was ambitious but not enough.
The weak marketing strategy leaned heavily on the founder's reputations and influencers, many of whom turned on the product with blistering reviews. Suddenly, Humane found itself not at the vanguard of a new era but as the hero of an expensive cautionary tale.
By May 2024, the AI Pin had transitioned from being the next big thing to the next big flop.
I wrote my product review/analysis using the Product Levels Framework [see above]. If you can't afford the seven minutes to read that, I'll give you the gist: Humane had failed to answer the most basic question: What real problem does this solve, and how?
They made a few major mistakes, like sharing the product early with tech influencers who make money on attention and have no skin in the game. Again, you can read the details if you haven't done it already in my product review.
Why? In this fight, Humane wasn't in the same category as the opponent. Changing human behaviour is harder than building hardware and writing code. Way harder. It is a different fight altogether. This fight requires more than money and patience; it requires a method and the effort to prime the market for change, the ability to see the true signs, align the moments and act in a way that your solution is not just a distraction but a catalyst for disruption, a way for the market to form around the solution you provide. That's hard as hell.
As I wrote in my product review, Humane AI asked users to abandon deeply ingrained habits: texting in silence, getting triggered and outraged on social media, scrolling in solitude, and scrolling through social feeds while in the bathroom, office, queueing for coffee, or at times when we should be asleep.
Humane AI offered a solution to our addictions: voice interactions. We usually do voice interactions thoughtfully. A clunky projector interface required speaking commands aloud, an experience that quickly looked unnatural, inconvenient, and, somehow, embarrassing. The tech itself was ambitious but not enough.
The weak marketing strategy leaned heavily on the founder's reputations and influencers, many of whom turned on the product with blistering reviews. Suddenly, Humane found itself not at the vanguard of a new era but as the hero of an expensive cautionary tale.
By May 2024, the AI Pin had transitioned from being the next big thing to the next big flop.
I wrote my product review/analysis using the Product Levels Framework [see above]. If you can't afford the seven minutes to read that, I'll give you the gist: Humane had failed to answer the most basic question: What real problem does this solve, and how?
They made a few major mistakes, like sharing the product early with tech influencers who make money on attention and have no skin in the game. Again, you can read the details if you haven't done it already in my product review.
Back to our fallen hero.
The AI Pin aimed to fight screen addiction, but did consumers actually want that? Was the market ready for disruption, or was it just a distraction? Was there a genuine craving for a screen-free device, or was this just an idealistic fantasy pushed by Silicon Valley types tired of seeing their kids hypnotised by TikTok?
The marketing strategy, which relied on big-name tech reviewers to validate the product, backfired spectacularly. When someone like MKBHD calls your device a mess, the internet listens.
The AI Pin didn’t just miss the mark—it fumbled the entire playbook. Even with $230 million in its war chest, Humane couldn’t buy its way out of irrelevance. This has almost nothing to do with its capability to produce a sleek-looking device and write code.
Fast forward to February 2025, and the inevitable has arrived.
As of today, Humane is telling a story on their website, a story they should have told back in November 2023. A story about a world with less screen time. But it is late, too late.
Humane is shutting down the AI Pin and selling its remnants to Hewlett-Packard for a humble $116 million—pennies on the dollar compared to what was invested. HP is acquiring Humane’s 300 patents, software, and technical staff and folding them into a new AI division.
Meanwhile, for AI Pin owners, the reality is brutal. The servers are set to go dark on February 28, 2025, at 3 PM ET, leaving early adopters with little more than an expensive paperweight. Refunds? Only if you bought it within the last 90 days.
The marketing strategy, which relied on big-name tech reviewers to validate the product, backfired spectacularly. When someone like MKBHD calls your device a mess, the internet listens.
The AI Pin didn’t just miss the mark—it fumbled the entire playbook. Even with $230 million in its war chest, Humane couldn’t buy its way out of irrelevance. This has almost nothing to do with its capability to produce a sleek-looking device and write code.
Fast forward to February 2025, and the inevitable has arrived.
As of today, Humane is telling a story on their website, a story they should have told back in November 2023. A story about a world with less screen time. But it is late, too late.
Humane is shutting down the AI Pin and selling its remnants to Hewlett-Packard for a humble $116 million—pennies on the dollar compared to what was invested. HP is acquiring Humane’s 300 patents, software, and technical staff and folding them into a new AI division.
Meanwhile, for AI Pin owners, the reality is brutal. The servers are set to go dark on February 28, 2025, at 3 PM ET, leaving early adopters with little more than an expensive paperweight. Refunds? Only if you bought it within the last 90 days.
The takeaway.
Humane’s AI Pin was not just a product but a brave attempt to rewrite the rules of engagement between humans and technology. Credit is due for that.
As I wrote before, the team behind this product has executed an abstract plan to the letter.
But when the product meets the market, no amount of funding, hype, or sleek branding can compensate for misreading human behaviour. Humane bet big on a new ecosystem. They bet against gravity. And they paid the price. That’s the game.
Still, every failure writes the first chapter of the next success story.
The AI Pin may have flopped, but the problem it tried to solve—our toxic relationship with screens—isn’t going away. Someone will crack this nut. Someone will build a product that actually works, that consumers actually want, and that reshapes the landscape for real.
Humane didn’t get there, but the playbook is still open. The next team to take the field will be watching and learning.
RIP, AI Pin. For everyone else, the game is on. We are still here, addicted, primed for distraction, and some of us are ready to change our relationship with technology.
As I wrote before, the team behind this product has executed an abstract plan to the letter.
But when the product meets the market, no amount of funding, hype, or sleek branding can compensate for misreading human behaviour. Humane bet big on a new ecosystem. They bet against gravity. And they paid the price. That’s the game.
Still, every failure writes the first chapter of the next success story.
The AI Pin may have flopped, but the problem it tried to solve—our toxic relationship with screens—isn’t going away. Someone will crack this nut. Someone will build a product that actually works, that consumers actually want, and that reshapes the landscape for real.
Humane didn’t get there, but the playbook is still open. The next team to take the field will be watching and learning.
RIP, AI Pin. For everyone else, the game is on. We are still here, addicted, primed for distraction, and some of us are ready to change our relationship with technology.
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