After co-founding the successful Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, Carl Pei felt the tech industry was missing the fun and wonder he remembered as a dedicated gadget fan growing up in Sweden. Pei decided to launch a new smartphone brand, this time with an increased focus on thoughtful user interface and stylish yet practical designs. In only two years, the brand known as "Nothing" has gained a cult following and gone to $600 million in annualized revenue. On this episode of The Main Function, Pei reflects on the highs and lows that have come with the journey of pursuing excellence in hard tech.
More on Nothing here: https://us.nothing.tech/
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Chapters (Powered by https://bit.ly/chapterme-yc) –
00:00 – Coming Up
00:36 – Carl’s journey into tech
02:47 – Starting OnePlus
05:27 – How Nothing came to be
07:07 – Building a new smartphone is hard
10:07 – Why Nothing made earbuds first
13:12 – Cultivating a cool brand
14:22 – The right Tim Cook/Jony Ive ratio
15:21 – Nothing’s glyph interface
17:09 – Carl’s favorite designs
19:38 – Advice for hard tech founders
