Following countless reports earlier this week, OnePlus has officially confirmed the departure of its cofounder Carl Pei in a new post online.
After several years helping to build up the OnePlus brand to the relative popularity and success that it enjoys today, Pei unexpectedly left the company in recent months. Why? Pei doesn’t give a clear explanation, unfortunately.
After nearly seven years at OnePlus, I’ve made the difficult decision to say goodbye.
I grew up spending tremendous amounts of time on the internet, building products and communities. Seeing that ideas in one’s mind could be turned into reality and impact people’s lives gave me lots of joy, and I knew early on that this was the path for me.
According to various reports, Carl Pei and Pete Lau, the founders of OnePlus, weren’t getting along very well, and it seems that something relating to the OnePlus Nord pushed things over the edge.
In any case, it’s hard not to be impressed by what Pei did in his time at OnePlus. The company, not-so-subtly backed by BBK and Oppo, started out in relative obscurity and quickly grew on the backs of enthusiast-focused devices with affordable prices and top-of-the-line specs. In the past few years, the prices have gone way up, but the phones have also gotten increasingly better. The OnePlus 8 Pro from earlier this year, for example, finally nailed the flagship experience.
Pei’s legacy at OnePlus won’t be quickly forgotten by longtime fans of the company, and it will be interesting to see what comes next for him.
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. I’m looking forward to taking some time off to decompress and catch up with my family and friends. And then follow my heart on to what’s next.
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