Purism Bringing Freedom, Privacy & Security to Their Primary Shareholder - You

Human rights and digital rights need to be one and the same.

After a lifetime of work as an engineer, developer, architect, and advocate, Todd Weaver was well positioned to take on any role in technology. Yet it was his role as father that solidified his next business mission.

“Someone had to start the movement of respectful technologies for the next generation,” he said recently. “It’s so easy to check a box and give up your rights; to retain your rights is unbelievable hard. All technological advancements can be made without exploiting people, but Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and the lot of them are harming people more than helping people. It is always about convenience and control, it is currently convenient to use products that control you, and until there is a convenient alternative where you retain your freedom and control, society will continue to suffer from digital rights oppression. We are continuing to build that future with the support of millions and growing.”

He’s talking about the intersection of two of the world’s biggest conversations today - cybersecurity and privacy protection. “Solving the digital rights issue properly for people, by giving them full control; simultaneously solves the cybersecurity needs of enterprises and governments, they need full control.” says Weaver. He did something about it.

In 2014, Weaver founded Purism to make high quality, safe, and secure hardware available to everyday users. But it was more than just hardware. It was the beginning of this movement.

“You have to start with hardware to properly fix the problems.” Weaver said. His vision was to build hardware that respected a users’ essential freedoms and privacy. It was a purpose mindfully designed by Weaver, his team, and his belief system - he wanted.

digital freedom; he wanted an environment he could trust. He wanted that for everyone else, too. Weaver started the company with crowdfunding a 15-inch laptop with a quarter million-dollar funding goal.

Seven years later, Purism created a sophisticated portfolio of digitally responsible, high-quality, and safe products, services, and tech add-ons that allow people the freedom and choice to ‘opt-in’ to features of Big Tech and keep them isolated. With an ever growingever-growing team and triple digit growth year-over-year, you cannot help but think this is how movements start.

Purism’s impact can be reflected beyond the number of products or people - Weaver says they are firmly rooted in their why, which always leads back to who they believe their primary shareholder to be - you.

A seasoned software architect, Todd Weaver founded Purism in 2014; since then, he’s served as CEO, Visionary Entrepreneur, and Innovative Leader. “Our products have the goal to solve every person’s need,” Weaver notes. It was not only about meeting needs though - but it was also about building a future of technology that respected people. The beauty of freedom has anchored how they communicate their ethos and their mission.

LEAD WITH WHY

Weaver mentions Simon Sinek, the writer’s ‘start with why’ philosophy as an important clarifying message to Purism’s communication strategy and their operating standards. “We believe people should have technology that fully respects their freedoms.” says Weaver.

The conversation about ‘why’ is showing ‘why’ Purism is a strong stand for doing social good. Purism answers the question of ‘Why Purism?’ on a page on their website under that very subject line.

SPC DISTINCTION AS A DIFFERENTIATOR

“Purism is a social purpose corporation (SPC), and we always talk about it as a positive aspect of our philosophy and commitment,” says Weaver. Purism publishes their founding SPC documentation on the company’s website. In that sense, the distinction is more than just marketing and communications effort - it’s a way for Purism to show their depth of credibility, an aspect that has become critical as they continue to expand their product line as well as their design philosophy.

SELL ON DIFFERENTIATORS - NOT PRICE

Weaver is keen to note that it is that depth of credibility that helps Purism stay competitive. As a throwback to their ‘start with why’ philosophy, he notes that that credibility factor is further enhanced by how they sell - on differentiators versus price. “We are leading innovators in the best security and privacy protection,” says Weaver. “So, articulating our differentiation is how we stay competitive.”

DEMOCRATIZING INFORMATION FOR USERS

So, how does a company that believes so strongly that Big Tech exploits humanity, communicate its vision? “We bridge into dystopia to share about utopia; so yes, we put our videos on YouTube and Facebook to show that we are an alternative to Big Tech,” he notes.

IT’S NOT ABOUT CUTTING A CHECK - IT’S ABOUT A RELATIONSHIP

“When I started Purism, I wanted to avoid toxic investment; I didn’t want to focus entirely on shareholder value,” says Weaver. In that sense, Weaver wanted to establish real relationships with his most important shareholders - society. In doing so, he is disrupting our relationship with not only technology, but also each other - and ourselves and our freedom. “Human rights and digital rights need to be one and the same,” he attests. That just might be the greatest movement of all