‘No one’s making a phone like this’: Light’s co-founders on building for the anti-smartphone generation
The founders of Light Phone discuss their decade-long mission to create minimalist devices that combat smartphone addiction. They argue that a growing 'attention activist' movement is finally aligning with their vision of technology that serves rather than distracts.
Why it matters
It highlights a niche but growing consumer pushback against the 'attention economy' and Big Tech's design philosophy.
With the Light Phone , Kaiwei Tang and Joe Hollier have spent over a decade exploring the value of simplicity in our relationship to technology, partnering along the way with players like Andrew Yang , Kendrick Lamar, and Pete Davidson. Now, with a new flip phone and a growing wave of “attention activists” pushing back against Big Tech, they think the rest of the world is finally catching up to them.
On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Amanda Silberling talks with Tang and Hollier about the company’s newly announced flip phone, why they think the anti-smartphone backlash is only just getting started, and what it takes to break an addiction that fits in your pocket.
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