Landline phones in 2025? How this tech vet is helping kids connect
GeekWire
GeekWire
4.4 • 116 Ratings
🗓️ 20 December 2025
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If you're looking for an uncommon thinker, how about a tech industry veteran developing and selling landline phones in 2025 — and selling out of them in the process. Chet Kittleson is the co-founder and CEO of Tin Can, a Seattle startup making Wi-Fi enabled landline phones designed to let kids talk to friends and family with just their voices. No screens, no AI.
GeekWire recognized Kittleson as one of our Uncommon Thinkers for 2025, a program presented in partnership with Greater Seattle Partners honoring inventors, scientists, and entrepreneurs transforming their industries in unexpected ways.
In this episode, he talks about the moment at school pickup that sparked the idea, why his own kids don't own devices, what happened when he eliminated screens on family road trips, and the $12 million seed round led by Greylock that will fuel the company's next chapter.
Related stories:
- Tin Can dials up another $12M to meet soaring demand for landline-style phone for kids
- Uncommon Thinkers: Tin Can is Chet Kittleson’s calling, and a way to foster deeper connections
- Uncommon Thinkers: Hope for the future from our 2025 honorees
With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop; edited by Curt Milton.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | You know, you guys write, like Seattle, one of the AI capitals of the world. |
| 0:06.3 | You guys cover it all the time. |
| 0:08.0 | Lots of really great stuff happening there. |
| 0:09.8 | No shade to anybody at all. |
| 0:11.8 | But like there's not a lot of people investing in just like, hey, how do we make sure as humans |
| 0:15.1 | we're more connected to each other? |
| 0:20.6 | If you're looking for an uncommon thinker, how about a tech industry veteran who's developing |
| 0:27.1 | and selling landline phones in 2025 and selling out of them in the process? |
| 0:34.1 | Hi, everybody. |
| 0:35.3 | It's Geekwire co-founder Todd Bishop. |
| 0:37.4 | And this week, I'm talking with Chet Kittleson. Geekwire co-founder Todd Bishop, and this week I'm talking with |
| 0:39.2 | Chet Kittleson. He's the co-founder and CEO of Tin Can. That's a Seattle startup that's making |
| 0:45.8 | Wi-Fi-enabled landline phones for kids. Tin Can has sold out of multiple batches of its |
| 0:53.0 | colorful phones, which are designed to let kids talk to friends and family with just their voices, no screens, and no artificial intelligence. |
| 1:03.1 | Geekwire recognized Chet as one of our uncommon thinkers for 2025. |
| 1:07.9 | This program presented in partnership with Greater Seattle Partners honors inventors, scientists, and |
| 1:14.3 | entrepreneurs who are transforming their industries in unexpected ways. |
| 1:19.2 | I caught up with Chet Kittleson this week to talk about the product, the mission, and what it's |
| 1:24.8 | like to bet on human connection in an age of artificial intelligence. |
| 1:30.3 | Chet, it's great to have you on the show. |
| 1:32.4 | Oh, man, Todd. |
| 1:33.5 | So good to be here. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 5 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from GeekWire, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of GeekWire and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.