The Journey of Carl Pei: From Tech-Obsessed Kid to Building Nothing

arl Pei, the co-founder of Nothing, is a name synonymous with innovation and disruption in the tech world. His story is one of curiosity, hustle, and a relentless pursuit of creating something meaningful.

From his childhood in Stockholm to building a globally recognized brand, Carl’s journey offers inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts alike. In this blog, we’ll dive into his formative years, his unconventional career path, and how he built Nothing into a unique player in the crowded tech industry.

A Tech-Obsessed Childhood in Stockholm

Carl Pei’s love for technology began at a young age in Stockholm, Sweden, where he grew up in a household with busy parents. At just 12 years old, Carl received his first iPod in 2001, a device that sparked his fascination with tech.

The first-generation iPod, with its FireWire connection and scroll wheel, wasn’t just a music player—it was a gateway to a world of innovation. Carl recalls the complexity of connecting the iPod to his PC, requiring a PCI card for FireWire and using RealPlayer to manage music.

His obsession with perfecting his music library, from fixing ID3 tags to curating album art, showcased his attention to detail and passion for user experience.

This early exposure to Apple’s groundbreaking products—the iPod, iPhone, and later the iPad—shaped Carl’s perspective on technology.

He was particularly struck by Apple’s meticulous design, like the skeuomorphic UI on the iPad, where even the light source on a virtual metallic knob shifted when the device was tilted.

These details convinced Carl that Apple had mastered every aspect of product creation, inspiring him to pursue a career in tech. As he puts it, those moments made him a “big fan of this industry and of Apple.”

Carl was also “chronically online” as a kid, thanks to Sweden’s advanced fiber internet infrastructure and his Nokia 3210. While his peers were limited by their immediate surroundings, Carl connected with the world through the internet.

He made friends online, including one who later became the youngest founder to join Y Combinator, and spent hours on MSN Messenger discussing how to make money online through blogs and websites. This early hustle laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial mindset.

An Unconventional Path: Dropping Out and Diving into Tech

Carl’s journey took an unconventional turn when he decided to drop out of the prestigious Stockholm School of Economics in 2011. He believed the curriculum was outdated, failing to prepare students to become global business leaders.

In a YouTube short, Carl shared, “I have always championed independent thinking… Just because the majority follows a certain path doesn’t mean it’s the right one for you.” While he cautions that dropping out isn’t for everyone, Carl trusted his instincts and chose to carve his own path.

Instead of following the traditional route of completing his degree or applying to Y Combinator (a goal he initially set), Carl took the “path of least resistance.” His early online presence played a pivotal role in this decision.

As a teenager, Carl had created a fan community for Meizu, a Chinese electronics company, which grew to 70,000 members. This caught the attention of Meizu’s CEO, who personally invited Carl to join the company in Hong Kong to help it expand internationally.

At just 21, Carl left university and moved to Asia, diving headfirst into the tech industry.

From Meizu to OnePlus: Learning the Ropes

Carl’s stint at Meizu, often called the “Apple of China” for its innovative MP3 players and early smartphones, was short-lived. He realized the company’s family-run structure limited its potential for growth, with key positions held by relatives.

After a year, Carl sought new opportunities, applying to companies like Xiaomi, OPPO, and Smartisan. While Xiaomi’s aggressive, results-driven culture intimidated him, OPPO’s traditional manufacturing environment felt like a place where he could stand out.

Joining OPPO in 2013, Carl seized an opportunity to work on a new brand called OnePlus, created to counter Xiaomi’s online-first smartphone strategy. Initially focused on China, OnePlus wasn’t intended for international markets.

However, Carl, then just 24, convinced OPPO’s leadership to let him run international operations, arguing it would be “free money” on top of their China-focused efforts. His marketing and business acumen, honed from building websites and selling advertising since age 12, proved invaluable.

Under Carl’s leadership, OnePlus pivoted to focus on international markets after its first year, with international sales generating $200 million in revenue compared to China’s $100 million.

Over seven years, Carl helped transform OnePlus into a global brand known for its “flagship killer” smartphones, learning the intricacies of the high-stakes consumer electronics industry without risking his own capital.

Founding Nothing: A New Vision for Tech

By 2020, Carl felt he had reached a turning point. While OnePlus was a success, he wanted to do more than assemble components from suppliers and market them. He aspired to influence how people interact with technology.

On his birthday in September 2020, Carl left OnePlus and founded Nothing, a company aimed at bringing fresh design and innovation to a mature industry.

Building Nothing was no easy feat. Carl underestimated the challenges of competing in a market dominated by giants with massive scale and resources. Unlike OnePlus, which leveraged OPPO’s supply chain, Nothing had to carve its own niche from scratch.

Carl and his team chose design as their differentiator, recognizing that developing new technology would take years and significant investment.

Their first product, the Nothing Phone (1), launched in 2022 with a distinctive transparent back and glyph interface, targeting a niche group of consumers who valued aesthetics and uniqueness.

Nothing’s strategy was pragmatic: focus on hardware design first, then software, and gradually invest in areas like operating systems and AI.

Carl acknowledges that Nothing isn’t reinventing the smartphone category but is instead building “differentiation and moats over time.” Despite the challenges, Nothing has survived and grown over four and a half years, a testament to Carl’s resilience and vision.

Lessons from Carl Pei’s Journey

Carl Pei’s story is a masterclass in following one’s instincts and seizing opportunities. From his tech-obsessed childhood to dropping out of university, hustling in China, and building two globally recognized brands, Carl’s path is anything but conventional. Here are a few key takeaways:

Embrace Independent Thinking: Carl’s decision to drop out and pursue his passion for tech reflects his belief in questioning the status quo and trusting one’s instincts.

Leverage Early Opportunities: His online fan community for Meizu opened doors to a career in tech, proving that even small initiatives can lead to big breaks.

Start Small, Think Big: With Nothing, Carl focused on a niche market and design-driven differentiation, laying the groundwork for long-term innovation.

Learn by Doing: From Meizu to OnePlus to Nothing, Carl learned the tech industry through hands-on experience, embracing failures as opportunities to grow.

Conclusion

Carl Pei’s journey from a 12-year-old iPod enthusiast in Stockholm to the co-founder of Nothing is a story of curiosity, grit, and vision. His childhood fascination with technology, coupled with his willingness to take risks and think independently, led him to build Nothing—a brand that dares to stand out in a crowded industry.