Later I thought, “You know, your ‘style’ is not everyone’s cuppa tea. They might just skip over it. Or totally misread it. Do you actually know what you’re talking about? Or are you just hiding behind wisecracks and irony?”
So…
Unsolicited translation/expansion:
Yes. A feature of modern marketing involves persuading customers to:
identify as the company’s family members, community members, friends. establish a social commitment to other customers and to develop loyalty to the company brand.
Because the technique is so common and usually so poorly executed it can come off as insincere and annoying which it often is.
It’s possible to give something away without monetizing the recipient. But it’s rare and often typical of a company founded on principle. ProtonMail is an example.
However, ProtonMail is a service. They have no physical merchandise to “carry on their backs.” Wyze does. Managing physical inventory to match demand is a particular challenge that when poorly met damages a company’s prospects.
“Move fast and break things” is one famous company’s early motto. The goal is not to break things but to move fast at all costs to outstrip and/or disrupt the competition. Dominant competitors resent disruption and can be a source of significant blowback.
Results matter and are rewarded by venture types. Taking a company public (listing on a major stock exchange) is a common goal of a company’s early investors. Once you are a public corporation you may be legally constrained from honoring many of your early principles.
To be accurate, you may then need to qualify the word friends with air quotes.