He props his feet up on the side table and leans back, a round, softly glowing circular Friend pendant dangling from a yellow cord around his neck. This is the second iteration of the Friend necklace, the controversial AI companion device that just about everyone (me included) seems to hate. The first version of Friend was an always-listening AI wearable that responded via text message. The big update here is a speaker on the back that lets the device voice its responses aloud. Behind Schiffmann’s couch is a gigantic framed photograph of a Paris subway station with ads for the Friend pendant splayed across the walls.