Co-founder Carl Pei leaves OnePlus to start new venture: Report

The charismatic 31-year old Carl Pei who along with Pete Lau, his former colleague at Oppo, started the start-up OnePlus in 2013, has apparently left the company.

Carl Pei is planning to start a new venture of his own, reported Techcrunch. But, there is no information if it is a new mobile firm or any other technology sector.

This comes as a shock to many in the smartphone industry, as the company is all geared up for the big OnePlus 8T reveal on October 14. A student of Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden, Pei was tightly involved in the design of OnePlus phones and also the company's face for the western market. He even played a crucial part in setting up the business and marketing in India.

Carl Pei's last project was the popular OnePlus Nord. It was developed with a focus on the price-conscious Indian market. Prior to the launch, the company had released a documentary with series of short videos showing the work process, taking feedback from customers at the OnePlus store in Bengaluru and other retail chains in select Indian cities.

Recently, an internal memo with the OnePlus organization hierarchy chart leaked on Reddit with no mention of Carl Pei in it. In the newly formed committee, Emily Dai was named to head the Nord Product line.

This apparently fueled reports that Pei has been sacked, but now reports are suggesting that there was friction between Carl Pei and co-founder Pete Lau. Recently, BBK Electronics (parent company of OnePlus, Vivo, Realme, iQoo, and Oppo) assigned more responsibility to Lau as senior vice president and head of the product experience, Oppo.

It remains to be seen how the brand goes forward with both co-founders no more playing any critical role in OnePlus.

Also read | OnePlus 8T design teased ahead of launch

DH has reached out to OnePlus for an official comment on the reports of Carl Pei leaving the company. Stay tuned.

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