NewsBytes
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    More
    In the news
    Narendra Modi
    Amit Shah
    Box Office Collection
    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
    OTT releases
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    NewsBytes
    User Placeholder

    Hi,

    Logout

    India
    Business
    World
    Politics
    Sports
    Technology
    Entertainment
    Auto
    Lifestyle
    Inspirational
    Career
    Bengaluru
    Delhi
    Mumbai

    Download Android App

    Follow us on
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    Home / News / Business News / Carl Pei: Life and journey of the man behind Nothing
    Next Article
    Carl Pei: Life and journey of the man behind Nothing
    Carl Pei began Nothing in 2021 (Photo credit: Twitter/Carl Pei)

    Carl Pei: Life and journey of the man behind Nothing

    By Athik Saleh
    Jul 13, 2022
    05:48 pm

    What's the story

    Nothing just launched its maiden smartphone as a way to reinvigorate the smartphone industry. The man of the hour is none other than Carl Pei, the CEO and co-founder of Nothing.

    From Nokia to Nothing and from a college dropout to a successful entrepreneur, he has seen it all.

    Let's take a look at the story of a person who dreamt of revolutionizing smartphones.

    Early life

    Pei dropped out of college in 2011

    Born on September 11, 1989 in Beijing, China, Pei later move to the US with his family. The family then moved to Sweden where he grew up.

    He enrolled in the Stockholm School of Economics' Bachelor of Science program in 2008. However, he left it unfinished in 2011 to pursue his dream of working in the Chinese smartphone industry.

    Beginning

    Pei joined OPPO and worked under Pete Lau

    Pei's career began with Nokia in 2010. His time at the Finnish company was short-lived though.

    In 2011, he joined Meizu after the company's Hong Kong branch noticed the fan website he created. He later joined OPPO in the same year.

    Pei worked under Pete Lau as the International Market Manager for OPPO. Lau and Pei later partnered up to create OnePlus.

    Big start

    Lau and Pei founded OnePlus in 2013

    Pei's career at the forefront of the smartphone industry began in 2013 when he joined hands with Lau to co-found OnePlus. He took the position as the company's Global Director.

    At the time, Pei was only 24 years old. The company's first phone, the OnePlus One, sold over one million units — a lot more than the 50,000 units Pei and Lau had targeted.

    Success

    His time in OnePlus was filled with success

    Pei's time in OnePlus was a resounding success. In 2015, he presented the OnePlus 2 through a virtual reality video, marking the world's first VR product launch.

    OnePlus soon became a household name as it challenged its peers with competitive pricing.

    Pei was in charge of the design and marketing of the company's most successful smartphones until he called it quits in 2020.

    Resignation

    Pei left OnePlus in 2020 to focus on other things

    Pei's resignation from OnePlus surprised everyone as it was not clear why he left the company.

    In his goodbye memo, he said, "I've never regretted trusting my gut feeling, and this time it's no different. These past years, OnePlus has been my singular focus, and everything else has had to take a backseat."

    Nothing

    Nothing launched its first product in 2021

    In January 2021, Pei announced that he is going to start another company dubbed 'Nothing.' He said that Nothing would remove the barriers between people and technology.

    Based in London, the company launched its first product, the ear (1) truly wireless earphones, in 2021. The unique transparent design of the ear (1) made it an instant hit and it has sold over 560,000 units.

    Nothing Phone (1)

    Pei announced Nothing's first smartphone in March 2022

    On March 23, 2022, Pei announced Nothing's first smartphone. It was meant to shake up the smartphone industry which has been lacking uniqueness for a while.

    The Nothing Phone (1) was finally launched on July 12, 2022. Its quirky design and the company's attention to getting the basics right may get Pei his wish - make people excited about smartphones again.

    Information

    Pei was part of Forbes' 30 Under 30 list

    In 2016, Pei was included in Forbes magazine's '30 Under 30' list for consumer technology. He was also part of Marketing Week's 'Vision 100' list in the same year. In 2019, he was recognized in Fortune magazine's 40 Under 40 list.

    Facebook
    Whatsapp
    Twitter
    Linkedin
    Related News
    Latest
    OnePlus
    Pete Lau
    Carl Pei
    NOTHING

    Latest

    Pakistan refused IndiGo pilot's request to use airspace during turbulence  Amritsar
    6, including 'Sum 41' music agent, die in plane crash   San Diego
    Apple's next big thing, smart glasses, are coming next year Apple
    Xiaomi's first electric SUV is a Tesla Model Y killer Tesla

    OnePlus

    OnePlus Nord 2T fully revealed in leaked renders: Check features MediaTek
    OnePlus's first foldable smartphone will resemble OPPO Find N Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
    OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite to launch on April 28 Amazon
    Ahead of India launch, OnePlus 10R appears in Amazon advertisement MediaTek

    Pete Lau

    CES 2018: New OnePlus smartphone to launch in 5 months Smartphones
    OnePlus 6 leaks hint at new design and upgraded specs Android
    Everything to know about OnePlus 6: Features, specs and price Smartphones
    OnePlus 6 to come in 256GB storage variant: CEO India

    Carl Pei

    OnePlus 5T launch: Here are specs, features, price! Smartphones
    OnePlus 6 leaked: Image shows iPhone X-like notch, dual cameras India
    It's official: OnePlus 6 will have a notch iPhone X
    Here's how OnePlus tests cameras on its smartphones OnePlus

    NOTHING

    'I gave up nothing,' says Trump over meeting with Putin Russia News
    Nothing ear (1) earbuds will cost Rs. 6,000 in India Nothing ear (1)
    Nothing ear (1) to offer 36 hours of battery life Nothing ear (1)
    Nothing ear (1), with ANC support, launched at Rs. 6,000 Active Noise Cancellation
    Indian Premier League (IPL) Celebrity Hollywood Bollywood UEFA Champions League Tennis Football Smartphones Cryptocurrency Upcoming Movies Premier League Cricket News Latest automobiles Latest Cars Upcoming Cars Latest Bikes Upcoming Tablets
    About Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact Us Ethical Conduct Grievance Redressal News News Archive Topics Archive Download DevBytes Find Cricket Statistics
    Follow us on
    Facebook Twitter Linkedin
    All rights reserved © NewsBytes 2025