Nothing (company)

Nothing Technology Limited (stylised as NOTHING) is a British consumer electronics manufacturer based in London. It was founded by Carl Pei, the co-founder of the Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus. Investors in the company include iPod inventor Tony Fadell, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and YouTuber Casey Neistat. On 25 February 2021, the company announced Teenage Engineering as a founding partner, mainly responsible for the brand's design aesthetic and its products. Nothing's first product "EAR (1)" was launched on 27 July 2021. On 16 October 2020, Carl Pei, the co-founder of OnePlus, while working at OnePlus alongside Pete Lau, announced his resignation so that he could start a new venture. Pei later raised up to $7 million from multiple investors to start up his venture including iPod inventor Tony Fadell, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and YouTuber Casey Neistat. Pei announced the company, Nothing, on 27 January 2021. On 15 February 2021, Nothing acquired the Essential Products trademarks and brand nearly a year after the company shut down operations. On 25 February 2021, the company announced its first founding partner, Teenage Engineering, to produce the design aesthetic of the brand and its products. Nothing announced its first product on 27 July 2021, named the "ear (1)", which are wireless headphones. On 13 October 2021, the company raised up to$50 million and also announced a partnership with Qualcomm. On 9 March 2022, the same day that Nothing secured Series B financing, the company announced that it would hold a press conference on 23 March. During that event, the company announced its first smartphone, the "phone (1)". On 10 December 2022, Nothing opened its first physical store in London's Soho district. In February 2023, during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona Nothing announced that their next generation of phones will be powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The announcement highlighted the increased power and device price of the next smartphone release.