Veteran investor Kevin Rose has cautioned against the frenzy surrounding AI hardware startups, arguing that many new devices breach social norms and lack emotional resonance. Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt, the True Ventures partner — known for early bets on Peloton, Ring, and Fitbit — said investors should assess wearables not only for their technical innovation but also for how they make users and those around them feel. “If you feel like you should punch someone in the face for wearing it, you probably shouldn’t invest in it,” Rose quipped, criticizing always-on devices that record or listen to conversations without consent.
Drawing from his experience as a former Oura board member, Rose recounted how even promising technologies can backfire socially. He described a personal incident with a now-defunct AI pendant, which he once tried to use to settle an argument with his wife by referencing the device’s recordings. “That was the last time I wore that thing,” he said. Rose warned that society is repeating the mistakes of early social media — rushing to embed AI everywhere without considering long-term cultural or psychological consequences.
Despite his skepticism about AI wearables, Rose remains bullish on AI’s potential to reshape entrepreneurship and venture capital. He highlighted how new tools have drastically lowered barriers for founders, citing a colleague who built a complete app during a single drive using AI coding assistants. With rapid improvements like Google’s upcoming Gemini 3, he predicted that “high school coding classes are no longer coding classes — they’re vibe coding classes,” capable of spawning billion-dollar companies from unexpected places.
Rose believes the venture capital landscape will soon favor investors with high emotional intelligence over technical prowess. As AI automates much of the startup process, he argued, founders will need emotionally grounded partners who can navigate human challenges rather than just technical ones. Echoing advice from Google’s Larry Page, Rose said he looks for founders with “a healthy disregard for the impossible” — bold thinkers unafraid to pursue ideas others dismiss. “Even if it doesn’t work,” he said, “we love your mind, and we’ll back you the second time.”