Company
The team
Building the phone people are happy to put down.
Why we exist
Every phone today is optimised for engagement. We're building the first one optimised for disengagement. A phone that does its job, then gets out of the way.
The problem is not willpower. The problem is the phone itself.
Founders
Two founders. One thesis.
Two founders. Engineering and computer science. Backgrounds in AI, machine learning, aviation systems, and quantum computing research. London-based.
Between them: Oxford engineering, UCL computer science, and years spent building ML systems at scale. They started Kern because no phone on the market solved the problem they both had. The ones that existed either removed capability or relied on willpower.
What we believe
Four principles. No exceptions.
The competition is the iPhone
If a Kern owner ever reaches for their old phone, we failed. Not the dumb phones. Not the detox phones. The iPhone.
Ship the third option
The dumb phones strand you. The screen-time apps blame you. We're building the only other answer.
Defaults are the product
Hardware matters. Apps matter. But what the phone does when you pick it up without thinking is the whole game.
Restraint over cleverness
Every feature removed is a feature shipped. We say no more than we say yes.
Culture
A small team doing hard things on purpose
The culture is direct. We don't do performative work, unnecessary meetings, or consensus theatre. You say what you think, you build what matters, and you own the outcome.
We care about craft and restraint. Every feature, every interaction, every line of copy is deliberate. We ship less, but what we ship is right.