By: Izzy Cheung, Staff Writer
Touted as the second coming of the iPhone, Parker Parkins’ MiPhone has risen in popularity since appearing on the famous reality TV program, Dargon’s Den. The MiPhone is the newest cellular device on the block. It operates as a typical cell phone would, but also allows users to access all the financial data of anyone within a certain radius — you know, as you do.
The Peak sat down with Parkins, and co-founders Michael Michaels and Bob Johnson, to discuss how they are “disrupting” the phone industry.
Q: How did you all meet?
Parkins: The three of us were in the same statistics class in first-year. We did a project together about accessibility in technology, and we’ve been tight ever since. We moved into a big house together in second-year, and we’ve been bringing more people in from that day on.
Q: Your mission statement is to “change the world through accessibility.” How did accessibility become such an important topic for you?
P: We took a class in third-year about cryptocurrency. It made us think about the politics behind accessibility, specifically, accessibility to each other’s data. Why do we have to keep secrets between us? We’re all on the same side — the side of the human race.
Q: You’ve been saying “we” a lot. I’m curious to hear what Mr. Michaels and Mr. Johnson think about this.
Michaels: I agree.
Johnson: I agree as well.
P: We always know what the other is thinking. The three of us are intertwined.
Q: So you’re all very into knowing everyone else’s personal information.
P: Yes. As a collective human race, globalization has made us trend towards becoming a more interconnected society. We want to accelerate that process by making connecting with others easier. Again, why do we have to keep secrets between us?
Q: You mentioned that you’ve been bringing people into your house since you moved in together. Are these people your employees, or . . . ?
P: We don’t refer to them as “employees,” but as our recruits. All of us firmly believe in the idea of human connectivity, so we’ve all replaced our cell phones with MiPhone. We even picked up a few other recruits from our appearance on Dargon’s Den. Our recruits have fully subscribed to the MiPhone mindset, so it’s only a matter of time before we can convince others to do the same.
Q: That sounds awfully cult-like.
P: It’s called devotion. We wholeheartedly believe in this cause and are actively working towards making the world a more connected place through it.
Q: With all those recruits, what kind of jobs does each member have? Are there any specific roles within the franchise?
P: Oh, no. We don’t believe in a hierarchy system, so there are no specific roles within our community. Everyone comes in at the same level, which makes us even more interconnected.
Q: So . . . how do you determine a manager for everything?
P: Everything is equally managed.
Q: By . . . ?
P: We all have our respective roles. We all believe in the future of an interconnected human race.
Q: An interconnected human race that makes everyone’s financial data accessible, making them vulnerable to exploitation.
P: We prefer to call it accessible. Exploitation is a crude way of referring to it.
Q: So how do the operations of MiPhone run if there’s no specific management system?
P: Everything is equally managed.
Q: Mr. Michaels? Mr. Johnson? Care to pitch in?
M: I agree.
J: I agree as well.
Q: Any final closing remarks before we end this interview?
P: Join us in making data more accessible throughout the world. Replace your iPhone with MiPhone, and reap the benefits of interconnectivity.
