Adapted by:
Javier Lacort
Senior WriterI write long-form content at Xataka about the intersection between technology, business and society. I also host the daily Spanish podcast Loop infinito (Infinite Loop), where we analyze Apple news and put it into perspective.
Karen Alfaro
WriterCommunications professional with a decade of experience as a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. As a travel and science journalist, I've collaborated with several print and digital outlets around the world. I'm passionate about culture, music, food, history, and innovative technologies.
I’m not a Pebble user. I wasn’t one before, and I won’t be with its relaunch—I used to wear an Apple Watch, and now I wear a Garmin. Yet, few tech announcements have excited me as much as this historic watch’s return with a new philosophy.
“I’m building a small, narrowly focused company to make these watches. I don’t envision raising money from investors or hiring a big team. The emphasis is on sustainability,” Pebble founder and CEO Eric Migicovsky wrote on his blog.
This statement represents exactly what the tech industry desperately needs: projects that don’t aim to dominate the world but simply to exist with dignity.
Today’s tech ecosystem operates under the tyranny of hypergrowth. If you don’t aspire to be a billion-dollar company, Silicon Valley’s dominant culture considers you a failure. It’s either go big or go home. This mentality has distorted technological development, turning potential works of art into generic products designed to maximize return on investment. It’s no coincidence that the mobile phone industry is filled with indistinguishable handsets.
The result is a homogenization of innovation and the gradual disappearance of offerings that don’t fit the unicorn template. Of the few alternatives, many were born misguided (Rabbit R1) or flawed (Humane AI Pin).
But there are success stories, too. Projects like Panic’s Playdate, Analogue, Keychron keyboards, and ReMarkable prove that excellence doesn’t require market dominance—just a clear vision and flawless execution.
What Migicovsky is doing is a declaration of independence. By rejecting outside capital and prioritizing sustainability over scale, he’s freeing his vision from the pressures that sank the original Pebble. He shared this insight with us years ago.
The irony is clear: Pebble failed not because of insufficient demand but because of an unsustainable cost structure born of outsized expectations.
The tech industry needs a new business taxonomy. Between the giants trying to dominate the world and amateur projects, there should be a thriving ecosystem of intentionally small but professional, sustainable, and profitable companies.
Every time I see a tech project that embraces its limitations instead of apologizing for them, that finds freedom in voluntary restraint, I remember why I fell in love with technology—not for its aspirations to omnipotence but for its ability to express the singular vision of its creators.
The new Pebble isn’t meant to compete with the Apple Watch. Its CEO even says so explicitly—he’s been criticized enough for undervaluing it in the past. Instead, it exists as a conscious alternative for a niche audience, not for everyone. And that’s what makes it potentially extraordinary—or at least far more valuable than its conservative strategy might suggest.
Image | Pebble
Related | Fitbit Ionic vs. Fitbit Versa: Which Smartwatch Is the Best Fit for You?
Log in to leave a comment