Notes on financing the next billion

The way we buy phones is changing. People in the mobile industry may be aware of these changes, but it is fair to say a lot of people aren’t. That’s because the process of paying for a phone is complex and often intentionally obtuse. Why care? The smartphone market is…

Today T-Mobile's CEO John Legere announced that 15 million customer records were breached on an Experian server connected with credit checks for device financing. The WSJ points out that records included names, birthdays, and social security numbers -- sufficient detail for any hacker to steal user's identities. It may be time…

As we wrote last week, Apple’s iPhone upgrade plan charges folks a premium for paying for their phone over time, provides insurance, and gives them the option to get a new phone every year. A lot of people responded to the post saying they still thought it was a fair…

This week Apple announced for the first time that it would be offering consumers the option to pay monthly for a new, unlocked iPhone every year “from $32 a month.” (details below) I wouldn’t go so far as to call this deal diabolical, but it is probably only a helpful option…

PayJoy has committed to running carbon-neutral by funding carbon offset projects in countries where we operate since 2022. For 2025, we are delighted to announce we are funding an Amazon forest protection project in Madre de Dios, Peru through ClimatePartner.