Marques Brownlee, a renowned YouTube tech reviewer, has recently stirred up controversy with his critique of Humane‘s AI Pin, raising questions about the impact of his influence on burgeoning companies.
What Happened: Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, titled his review of the AI Pin as “The Worst Product I’ve Ever Reviewed… For Now.”
Despite praising the design and concept of the device, Brownlee took issue with its performance, pointing out slow response times, inaccurate answers, inconsistent battery life, and subpar photo and video quality.
The review ignited a fiery debate online. Some, like Humane’s head of new media, Sam Sheffer, welcomed Brownlee’s “honest” and “solid” review, seeing it as constructive criticism.
Others, however, deemed it “almost unethical” due to Brownlee’s considerable influence and the potential repercussions of his review on Humane’s future.
Critic Daniel Vassallo argued that Brownlee’s review title could be damaging to Humane, as it’s what most people will see. He underscored that the power to devastate a company should not be taken lightly.