A friend of mine told me that privacy doesn't exist anymore, and the only way to be private is to stop using tech.

I don't agree. Privacy is not binary, it's a spectrum. While absolute privacy is arguably impossible, there are many tools that can be used to help you become more private in certain areas depending on your individual threat model.

Understanding privacy and taking steps towards a more private life involves research and work. It's easier and more convenient to just go with comercial technologies and not care about it.

Complacency is a problem, and most people won't understand that until they get burned. And many will.

Meanwhile, the crazy ones that operate on the fringes will keep building and using privacy focused tools, because we still believe in freedom and individual choice, even if some people have lost all hope.