OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei leaves company days before OnePlus 8T launch, likely to start own venture

In what could prove decisive in OnePlus’ future journey, company co-founder Carl Pei has left the smartphone-maker a day prior to the anticipated OnePlus 8T launch, hoping to start his own venture. OnePlus is yet to make an official statement on this but a screenshot posted on Reddit by user JonSigur show absence of Pie in the company’s leadership structure.  

Also, the smartphone maker has appointed Emily Dai, earlier in-charge of OnePlus operations in India, as the head of the Nord product line. Meanwhile, Matt Chen will now head OnePlus’ India operations.

Pei is expected to start his own venture after quitting OnePlus. He is currently in talks with investors to raise capital for his venture. There is no word on which segment will this start-up focus. Pei has been in the forefront of all major developments at OnePlus, even though Pete Lau served as the company CEO. It will be interesting to see if a new strategy is put into place at OnePlus going forward.  

OnePlus will be launching its upcoming premium smartphone - OnePlus 8T - on October 14. The company has refreshed the design of the phone and has also confirmed one colour option. The design showcased by OnePlus in a new blog post reveals the smartphone in Aquamarine Green colour option. There should be more colour options available after the device officially launches. 

“Ever since the OnePlus 6, we've been exploring ways to engineer glass into a back cover that delivers a slightly translucent and refined look, together with a smooth feeling when you touch it. On the OnePlus 8 Pro, we crafted our fifth-generation matte glass cover to offer a silky-smooth texture. This time, we shifted our attention to the glossy glass back to bring you something new,” company CEO Pete Lau said in a blogpost.