Why We Can’t Break Up With Big Tech

Gizmodo’s Kashmir Hill tried to disconnect from all Amazon products — including its smart speakers — as part of a bigger experiment in living without the major tech pl

Jeff Chiu / AP

Kashmir Hill wanted Amazon out of her life, completely.

It was the first week of a six-week experiment in living without tech giants. She had a virtual private network, or VPN, that would keep her devices walled off from any Amazon product. She would avoid Whole Foods and power down her Kindles.

But she had a problem. A small, chipper problem.