Friend AI Launches $1M Ad Campaign On NYC Subways, Leading To Mass Graffiting

About

Friend is an AI pin ^[1] 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 ^[2] and discussions, with the founder spending $1.8 million of the initial investment to acquire the Friend.com domain name, spawning jokes and memes. In late September and early October 2025, the company launched a $1 million ad campaign in NYC on the subway system, claiming it was the “largest ever.” The ads were frequently targeted and defaced with graffiti in retaliation.

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.

On July 30th, 2024, the founder of the Friend startup Avi Schiffmann (@AviSchiffmann) posted a reveal trailer for the device on X / Twitter ^[3] and YouTube ^[4] (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 ^[5]^[6]

— Avi (@AviSchiffmann) July 30, 2024 ^[7]

Later on July 30th, Avi Schiffmann wrote on X / 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.

Evis Drenova @evisdrenova wait this dude actually spent $1.8M out of $2.5M raised on a domain name for a pre-launch hardware device? that is actually f------ insane and i would be furious if i was an investor ESCROW.COM. My Transactions My Integrations Help Contact Us My Transactions All Action Required Open Closed Q Search transaction ID 4 TRANSACTION TITLE Buying of Friend.com Domain Name Holding Filter CREATED E AMOUNT ROLE Start New Transaction You are viewing 1 transaction STATUS $1,887,843.00 Feb 06, 2024 Buyer DNH Service USD 4:11 PM ⚫ Jul 30, 2024 2.2M Views

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 ^[8] 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 in one day (shown below).

Marques Brownlee @MKBHD • 20h Wait this isn't a skit? 122 17264 16K III 1.3M Avi @AviSchiffmann • 20h We'll get one into your hands. Looking forward to a positive review ;) 164 17 61 1.7K 1M 1 Marques Brownlee @MKBHD Look I can guarantee I'll give it a fair shot. I cannot guarantee anything else. 3:12 PM Jul 30, 2024 313.2K Views •

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 user @growing_daniel posted an Ouhhh… Husbant…^[9] meme that received over 3,300 reposts in one day (shown below, left).

Daniel @growing_daniel ohh husbandt, you spend $1.8 million on vanity domain before pmf, now we are homeress... 5:21 AM ⚫ Jul 31, 2024 • 16.3K Views .

I CONSENT THE MYTH OF "CONSENSUAL" SEX I CONSENT I DON'T! ISN'T THERE SOMEBODY YOU FORGOT TO ASK?

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 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 ^[10]^[11]

— Nik Shevchenko (@kodjima33) July 31, 2024 ^[12]

Friend.com NYC Subway Ad Campaign

In late September and early October 2025, Friend AI kicked off a $1 million ad campaign in the New York City subway system, with the company’s CEO, Avi Schiffmann, telling Adweek about the campaign, “This is the world’s first major AI campaign. We beat Open AI and Anthropic and all these other companies to the punch.”

On September 25th, Schiffmann tweeted about the start of the campaign, claiming it was the “Largest NYC subway campaign ever,” receiving over 25.4 million views, 3,800 likes, 2,100 retweets and 990 replies in a week.

A tweet from Avi Schiffmann, the creator of Friend AI, about his company's NYC subway campaign, which he claims is the largest ever.

In the following weeks, the ads on trains and in subway stations were commonly targeted and defaced with graffiti, many of them anti-AI in nature.

On October 2nd, 2025, Redditor ^[13] Better-Turnip-226 shared several of the graffiti-covered advertisements to the /r/interestingasfuck subreddit, receiving over 20,000 upvotes and 1,100 comments in two hours.