Antti Saarnio

Jolla co-founder and chairman, founder

[Antti Saarnio @AnttiSaarnio]

MWC2026 was incredible. Over 2,000 people visited our stand, 100,000+ visited Jolla shop during the week, and we got overwhelming support from media, community and visitors who want an independent European mobile OS to exist. Thank you.

Alongside all the love, I also see some hate from other alternative OS projects. I feel sad about this, as we don’t compete against other alternative OSes. We compete against the big tech and their dominance over the people.

So let me tell you who we are and where we come from.

Jolla was founded in 2011 to continue Nokia's MeeGo OS, which Microsoft killed after acquiring Nokia. It was a gigantic project for a startup. We quickly grew to 120 people, burning €1M per month with no major VC backing — Finland was not Silicon Valley back then. I personally became a fundraising machine: every 6 months I closed a round, and the morning after closing I started planning the next one, because I knew we'd be out of money in 6 months if I didn't.

The community saved us multiple times. Our first phone pre-order campaign in 2013 was the most successful crowdfunding campaign of its time — it rescued the company after we lost our chipset vendor partnership overnight.

But a €1M monthly burn with no major partnerships is unsustainable. We started gradually losing control to investors with different agendas. Not overnight — gradually. By 2017 I had lost control of the company and left.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, I started negotiating to bring Jolla back into Finnish ownership. I spent 14 months in direct negotiations with Rostelecom — the Russian state operator that held the controlling stake. Eventually I had to accept we were going nowhere. May 2023, I walked away from the table.

June 2023, Jolla entered voluntary restructuring. August 2023, the Municipal Court of Pirkanmaa ruled that Jolla's business, IP and personnel could be sold to a new company. I established that company — temporarily named Jollyboys Oy (I had to give it a name before we had rights to the Jolla brand, and I have sometimes weird humor).

In November 2023, Jolla's creditors — the Finnish state, a major Finnish pension fund, and two leading Finnish law firms — voted in favour. Jolla was reborn as a 100% Finnish-owned company. Rostelecom appealed. They lost.

So yes, Jolla has a history. We have always been open about it. None of it was hidden.

Is Sailfish OS perfect? No. There is a lot to improve and a long way to go. We will gradually open source it, step by step. It may not yet be where the hardcore privacy community wants us to be — but we will get there. In the meantime, we can serve ordinary people who want privacy and real control over their data. A physical switch that cuts camera, microphone and Android apps with one press of a button is a great start.

I have been in this business for 15 years. I have seen many OS projects come and go, or end up controlled by Google. The only way alternative operating systems win is if we help each other. Spreading hate helps no one.

Jolla does not participate in spreading hate. We only spread love.

The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.

[Antti Saarnio @AnttiSaarnio]

@jarmofriman — your question is absolutely crucial, because it goes directly to one of the biggest assumptions behind today’s AI infrastructure investment boom.

Having worked intensively with local AI for the past 2.5 years, this has been my prediction all along.

I believe ~80% of AI inference can ultimately be done with smaller local models — models in the 27B range, and increasingly even 4B-class models.
Their reasoning and decision-making capabilities are approaching what is needed for most everyday tasks. And with a good software harness, local models can already perform remarkably well — often more predictably than large cloud models.

The key is architecture: instead of giving one model a huge problem in one prompt, you decompose the work programmatically into smaller, well-defined tasks.

About the over capacity:

If ~80% of inference can eventually move local, and if roughly 60% of planned cloud AI capacity is intended for inference rather than training, then:
80% × 60% ≈ 48%.

In other words, close to half of currently planned AI data-center capacity could potentially be at risk unless new centralized workloads emerge to absorb it.

That is why I think the local-vs-cloud question may become a very significant infrastructure and investment question.

[Mårten Mickos @martenmickos]

Founders, initially you own 100%. When you are ready for a liquidity event, you own 10%. Bootstrapping would've kept you at 100%, with a smaller business.

Go for VC funding if it allows you to produce more than 10x the bootstrapped business. At the end of the day, it's not about what's before the percent sign but what's after the dollar sign.

[Carsten Munk @stskeeps]

More discovery into AWS EC2 attested instances (https://t.co/giOAQICPmN ) , as I'm quite interested from POV of our Directionally offering to be able to (at least) as a startup say that

"your data passes through this code and we, not even our admins have access to the data (tho Amazon might but very probably don't)"

https://t.co/R0iOkYcmCl is the next step to understand what you can build with this, basically it takes a Unified Kernel Image (UKI), which combines kernel, initramfs, and command line and some other potential boot assets and constructs the hashes needed for attestation that indeed that image is running on the instance (PCR4, 7, 12)

The actual verification of the OS file system (erofs) then happens in a chained manner through dm-verity (also used for OS integrity on Android) root hashes in the command line or initramfs (or embedded in kernel config). https://t.co/KnDnO40Pkz

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

Wow, what an unboxing video from a first time Sailfish OS user!

A big thank you for this thoughtful review Quixotic Penguin! ❤️ We truly appreciate the time and effort that went into creating such an informative video. It's especially wonderful to see how naturally adopting Sailfish OS clicked, even on your first try. If you're curious about the new Jolla Phone and Sailfish OS, this worth a watch: https://t.co/LneC3VtAEB

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

What an incredible day we had! 🎉

It was an absolute joy to welcome more than 500 members of our community to the Jolla Phone Day 1 event in Helsinki and celebrate this milestone together. This event wasn't just about a new phone — it was about the people who have supported, encouraged, and helped to realize & shape the Jolla Phone every step of the way.

One of the most memorable moments was handing over the very first Jolla Phones to their new owners. Sharing that excitement with our community and seeing your enthusiasm and unwavering support made the occasion truly unforgettable.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who joined us and made the Jolla Phone Day 1 event such a success. This was your celebration as much as it was ours, and we're so excited for what comes next. ❤️

Photos by Joshua Strobl.

Tune-in to the Sailfish Forum for more: https://t.co/b8Qla4nwX3

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[NXT EU @NXT4EU]

European @JollaHQ has launched their brand new phone today! 🇪🇺

It is the most privacy-friendly phone on the market, using a fully European OS, but with support for Android apps via Jolla AppSupport.

Independence, without sacrifice!

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

Jolla Phone Day1 is almost here, and we're excited to welcome the ticketholders to Helsinki!

If you have a ticket but can no longer attend, please let us know as soon as possible so your spot can be offered to someone on the waiting list. If you're joining us, there's nothing you need to do, we'll see you there!

If you can’t attend read instructions on how to cancel here: https://t.co/Qt3dQIvQcI

Join and enjoy the lively discussion here:  https://t.co/D9gfhyN6BU

Thank you for helping us make the most of this special community event. We can't wait to see you all next week! ❤️

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

Jolla ringtone project, episode two. @/antti360 is back in the studio, this time with the one sound every Jolla owner already knows: the classic ringtone.

https://t.co/3RqtyqY2TI

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

New series: Jolla ringtone project. We're scoring the new Jolla Phone, from brief to tone.

Episode one: composer @antti360 gets the brief from Sami. Three covers, three seasons: The Orange for summer, Kaamos Black for the Finnish winter, Snow White for the spring after it. One question for each. What does it sound like?

https://t.co/u42rYN182r

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

Two pieces of computing history just met.

Commodore is returning to phones, and it chose Sailfish OS to do it. The Commodore Callback 8020 is a flip phone built for stepping away from the feed: privacy designed in, your data kept yours.

The brand that brought computing into millions of homes in the 1980s, now running on the only independent European mobile OS. Built on a shared belief: technology should give people control, not take it.

Read more: https://t.co/Oulm0PJMXa

Press release (in Finnish 🇫🇮): https://t.co/FHileCakjO

Press release (in English 🇬����): https://t.co/e23K0ISo8d

#Jolla #SailfishOS #commodore #callback #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

More info in English below.

Kauppalehti nosti artikkelissaan esiin Jollan matkaa – uudelleenrakennusta, suomalaiseen omistukseen paluuta ja uutta kasvuvaihetta. Kiinnostus yksityisyyttä, digitaalista riippumattomuutta sekä eurooppalaisia vaihtoehtoja kohtaan on kasvussa, yli 12 000 Jolla Phone ennakkotilausta vahvistaa kysynnän. Linkki artikkeliin alla!

Kauppalehti's article highlights Jolla’s journey — rebuilding, returning to Finnish ownership and entering a new phase of growth. Interest in privacy, digital sovereignty and European alternatives is growing, and over 12 000 Jolla Phone pre-orders verifies the demand. Link down below.

https://t.co/ZASdEjYDHf

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered
#European

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

Big milestone for the Jolla Phone program: batches #1, #2 and #3 have now received their final payment emails.

Check your email, grab your discount code, choose your accessories, and complete your order. Four simple steps and you're locked in.

We promised to keep things running smoothly, and that's exactly what's happening. Thank you for your patience and your trust.

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

More info in English below.

Jolla esillä tänään MTV3 Viiden Jälkeen -ohjelmassa. Muista katsoa!

Tällä viikolla Jollan toimistolla kävi erityisiä vierailijoita! Jolla on nimittäin mukana tämän illan Viiden Jälkeen -ohjelmassa insertin muodossa, jossa nähdään pieni pilkahdus kulissien taakse. Ohjelmassa keskustellaan meille tärkeistä teemoista kuten digitaalisesta suvereniteetista ja odotamme innolla kuvausryhmän vierailun lopputulosta. Linkki ohjelmaan alla!

Jolla is featured today on MTV3’s Viiden Jälkeen program. Don’t forget to watch!

This week we had some special visitors at the Jolla offices! Jolla will be featured in tonight’s Viiden Jälkeen program as a short insert, offering a small glimpse behind the scenes of the company. The program touches on topics that are important to our company, such as digital sovereignty, and we’re excited to see the final result of the filming crew’s visit. Link down below!

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered
#European

https://t.co/I4ag9K3CKF

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

It's time. The Jolla Phone pre-orders are now ready to complete and we've rolled out the Batch #1 emails to pre-orderers. Choose your colour, complete your order by April 30, and lock in your delivery.

�� Day1 spots are limited — hurry up and claim yours before they're gone!

📧 Important: your personal voucher code is in the email — please make sure to use it at checkout! ❤️

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

The Jolla Phone pre-orders are now ready to complete.

Your pre-order made this project real and by now we have an amazing 12 000 pre-orders - wow! Only with the support of you, together with the community, have we been able to move forward, and now it is the time to move towards mass production.

The Jolla Phone is getting closer to being in your hands. Pre-order holders: your payment link is ready. Choose your colour, complete your order by April 30, and lock in your delivery.

Check your email for your personal order link, or reach out if you have questions.

Happy sailing!

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[Jolla @JollaHQ]

A heads up to everyone who has pre-ordered the new Jolla Phone.

The moment to complete your order is getting close and soon you will be able to finalize your full payment - personal email will follow soon.

Thank you for your trust and your patience. The Jolla Phone exists because of you. ❤️

#Jolla #SailfishOS #DigitalSovereignty #PrivacyFirst #CommunityPowered #European

[Antti Saarnio @AnttiSaarnio]

Mobile World Congress two weeks ago was a huge success for Jolla. We made a small video, so you can sense the Jolla vibe in MWC.
MWC is 4 days of "washing machine" and then you realise its time to go home...
https://t.co/aJpXArFbz2

[Darth Putin @DarthPutinKGB]

Instead of WW3, why don't we call it the Global Special Military Operations?

[Serdar Güneş @serdarguenes]

Das Jolla Phone aus Finnland will den Handymarkt revolutionieren: Mit SailfishOS Linux, auswechselbarem Akku und Privacy-Switch zur vollen Datenkontrolle ohne Cloud-Zwang. Wir haben es ausprobiert.

https://t.co/xRLx2l8xMV