Mudita is a company that focuses on minimalism and mindfulness in technology, a rare philosophy in an industry that relentlessly chases engagement metrics and data monetization. At CES 2026, while competitors showcased AI-powered everything and sensor-packed gadgets, Mudita\u2019s booth felt like a calm oasis in the chaos. CEO Micha\u0142 Stasiuk explained that most people quickly grasp the concept behind Mudita\u2019s products when they hear what the company does, noting that \u201cmost of our conversations here were with people who, you know, when they hear what we are about, what we are doing, what the product is about, they do get the concept.\u201d<\/p>\n
The real challenge, Micha\u0142 acknowledges, isn\u2019t explaining the philosophy but implementing behavioral change: \u201cThe difficult part is to actually implement the usage in their own lives because it\u2019s a trade-off between the convenience and the less usage of the device and the peace of mind.\u201d We sat down with Micha\u0142 to discuss how Mudita positions itself as the antidote to big tech\u2019s attention economy, why the company deliberately avoids AI, and how it\u2019s building trust with consumers who are burned out and skeptical of technology promises.<\/p>\n
Mudita Kompakt<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
CES 2026 was dominated by products cramming sensors into everything, trying to capture data at every opportunity. Mudita stands in stark contrast, deliberately avoiding data gathering and Google APIs. When asked how it feels to be such an outlier, Micha\u0142 responded positively, explaining that visitors \u201cdo get the concept\u201d fairly quickly. The philosophy resonates because people recognize the problem in their own lives, even if acting on it requires uncomfortable changes.<\/p>\n
The company frames its products as a deliberate trade-off: \u201cIt\u2019s a trade-off between the convenience and the less usage of the device and the peace of mind so the difficult part for them is to actually use the screen less and use the phone less for their benefit but with the trade of convenience.\u201d This honesty about sacrifice sets Mudita apart. Rather than promising effortless transformation, they acknowledge that reclaiming attention requires genuine commitment and a willingness to forego some modern conveniences.<\/p>\n
Micha\u0142 cited sobering statistics: \u201cThe average screen time is above six hours a day in the US.\u201d He suggested that all that time could be spent elsewhere, \u201cdoing other stuff,\u201d emphasizing that \u201cthis device is designed for that purpose of reducing the screen time.\u201d By acknowledging the scale of the problem without sugar-coating the solution, Mudita positions itself as the company willing to say what others won\u2019t.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The interviewer characterized messaging from Apple and Google about mindfulness and digital well-being as \u201cputting a band-aid on a problem that is actually a really big problem,\u201d noting that their corporate ethos centers on data gathering. Micha\u0142 agreed, pointing out that big tech companies acknowledge the problem by implementing screen-time controls, which means \u201cthey are admitting that the issue is there, right?\u201d However, he argued their implementations are \u201cless efficient\u201d because \u201cyou can disable the screen time limitations with no problem whatsoever on your device any time you like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mudita\u2019s approach hardens the constraints: \u201cThe device that we\u2019ve made can be much more efficient in that regard. Because when you\u2019re making a decision to use our phone instead of, for example, iPhone or Samsung, it\u2019s much more difficult to break the habit of not using the phone so much.\u201d The key difference? \u201cYou cannot disable the limitation on this device.\u201d This is product design as commitment device, locking users into healthier patterns by removing escape hatches.<\/p>\n
The business model distinction is fundamental: \u201cThe main difference is that the business model of large companies is set to monetize the data, for example, and to make the device as appealing as possible. So our device is designed not to be as appealing as possible, rather it\u2019s designed for our users, clients, to do what they need to do on the phone and then move on.\u201d The goal is to free up time \u201cin life, spending their time elsewhere, doing actually meaningful things instead of staring at the phone, whatever brings joy to them and not spend so much time using a phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Micha\u0142 noted that \u201cthe niche is growing and quite fast,\u201d with significantly more awareness in recent years: \u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen for the last couple of years is definitely more awareness and people get the concept now. Most of the people understand the concept now.\u201d He contrasted this with a few years ago when \u201cit wasn\u2019t the case,\u201d meaning the minimalist phone category had to overcome basic comprehension barriers that no longer exist.<\/p>\n
Regulatory momentum supports this shift. Legislators, psychologists, and even big tech insiders are talking about \u201cserious damage happening and mental damage and psychological damage happening with these devices that are constantly taking our attention.\u201d Micha\u0142 highlighted parental demand as a key driver, noting that \u201cin the last year 2025 there were three phones released on the market designed solely for the purpose of digital minimalism.\u201d The market is validating Mudita\u2019s early bet.<\/p>\n
Yet Micha\u0142 tempered expectations about speed: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that the change is very fast in terms of consumer habits because the consumer habits take long time to change much longer but in terms of understanding the issue I would say that everybody agrees.\u201d Many visitors tell him the phone is something \u201csomeone would buy for their children\u201d because \u201ca lot of parents are concerned with the screen time of their children so actually they are looking for solutions.\u201d Understanding precedes action, and the gap between the two is where Mudita must operate.<\/p>\n
Mudita Bell 2 & Harmony 2<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
At a show where AI appeared in \u201cliterally every product now,\u201d including \u201can AI alarm clock\u201d and \u201can AI toaster,\u201d Mudita\u2019s CEO was blunt: \u201cWe do not see any need for AI usage in the products that we are creating so far, because the problems we are trying to solve do not require AI, like for example in the alarm clocks, the problem we are trying to help to solve is better sleep and to improve sleep which is harmed by extended use of mobile devices like phones before going to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explained that people \u201cscroll for three hours before they go to sleep and this can disturb the sleep and circadian rhythm,\u201d and that Mudita\u2019s alarm clocks use \u201ce-ink display like the phone does and for that reason it does not emit any blue light right so you do not need to look at the blue light before you go to bed.\u201d The solution is material science and interface design, not machine learning. Solving sleep disruption doesn\u2019t require algorithms; it requires removing the stimulating screens that prevent sleep in the first place.<\/p>\n
Micha\u0142 clarified the stance isn\u2019t ideological: \u201cWe are not against AI in general but until now there wasn\u2019t any need to use AI.\u201d It\u2019s a refreshing example of technology restraint, deploying tools only when they serve a genuine purpose rather than chasing trends. By avoiding AI where it\u2019s unnecessary, Mudita reinforces its core message that more technology isn\u2019t always the answer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
When asked about Mudita\u2019s distinctive design DNA, Micha\u0142 described the unifying principles: \u201cIn every product that we are making we are aiming for similar outcomes for example we want to create simple products we want to create products that are easy to use and easy on the eyes without any eye strain so we design all of our interfaces to be pleasant not very cluttered without any jumping elements.\u201d The aesthetic is functional, driven by the goal of reducing cognitive load and visual stress.<\/p>\n
He elaborated on the interface philosophy: \u201cIn our phone we design the user interface not to have any popping up notifications that could be disturbing and to be as simple as possible and black and white aesthetics are very good fit for that purpose and E Ink displays are also very good fit for what we are trying to achieve without the blue light emission and black and white interfaces.\u201d The monochrome palette isn\u2019t a stylistic flourish; it\u2019s a deliberate choice to make devices less stimulating and more restful to look at.<\/p>\n
Rather than building a data-sharing ecosystem, Mudita envisions \u201can ecosystem but of a different sort,\u201d where devices like alarm clocks work well with lamps \u201cthat will have colors adjusted for bedtime like for example you can have warmer colors without any blue light emission.\u201d Importantly, \u201cthere is no need for data transfer between those two devices,\u201d and the philosophy is \u201cif they can solve an issue or solve a problem being simple there is no need for us to complicate things with the massive ecosystem that\u2019s not needed.\u201d Simplicity, kept simple.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Given that potential customers \u201chave a problem with big tech because they\u2019ve had issues of their own whether it\u2019s data breaches, whether it\u2019s mental health exhaustion or any sort of anxiety,\u201d the challenge for Mudita as \u201cultimately a tech company\u201d is \u201chow do you win their trust when they\u2019re already so skeptical?\u201d Micha\u0142\u2019s answer centers on transparency: \u201cWhat we are trying to do is to be transparent so basically what you see is what you get okay we are describing our products on our marketing information like, explicitly saying what they are what they are not just to make sure that every important information is out there communicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company uses community feedback to calibrate disclosure: \u201cWe have a forum that people are very active and this is like a source of information for us, what\u2019s important to them, what information should be disclosed and so on,\u201d adding that \u201cit\u2019s not always obvious for us what people are looking into.\u201d Additionally, \u201cwhat we are trying to do is to deliver what we say when we announce it, so if we announce that there is going to be released with some changes, we are doing everything we can to deliver exactly those changes in exact time that we promised our clients and community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Micha\u0142 summed up the philosophy: \u201cWe are doing our best to be as transparent as we what you see is what you get what you see is what you get this is this is like something is a model yes.\u201d By contrast to big tech\u2019s opacity and broken promises, Mudita offers radical honesty about capabilities, limitations, and timelines. Trust isn\u2019t assumed; it\u2019s earned through consistent delivery and clear communication about what the products can and cannot do.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The post From Alarm Clocks To Minimal Phones: How Mudita Is Building A Calm \u201cAnti\u2011Ecosystem\u201d For Digital Detox<\/a> first appeared on Yanko Design<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mudita is a company that focuses on minimalism and mindfulness in technology, a rare philosophy in an industry that relentlessly chases engagement metrics and data monetization. At CES 2026, while competitors showcased AI-powered everything and … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n