People often say that building a hardware company is like “playing on hard mode”. Building a hardware company during a global pandemic, with the unpredictability of supply chains and markets, is harder than hard. Trying to penetrate the phone market in particular – where only a few players own almost all the market share – is REALLY hard. In today’s episode we chat with Carl Pei, founder of Nothing. Between Nothing and previously co-founding OnePlus, Carl has twice managed to do what many others have failed to do. Nothing has sold over 1m units and built a team of over 400. In this episode, Carl chats with us about why he’s at it again, what it takes to successfully build hardware, and how he thinks about making technology fun again. Topics Covered: 00:00 - Introduction 02:30- The hardware market 03:12 - Breaking into the phone market 05:42 - Securing factories and stakeholders 08:08 - Differentiating products 11:14 - Hardware design 12:37 - Strengthening software proposition 17:04 - Table stakes 19:01 - Marketing and Youtube 20:51 - Underestimating the value chain 23:15 - Manufacturing 24:56 - Supply chain 27:24 - Remote work 29:19 - The future of hardware 32:39 - Breakthrough hardware 34:42 - Making tech fun again Resources: * Nothing website: https://us.nothing.tech/ * Nothing’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NothingTechnology * Find Carl on Twitter: https://twitter.com/getpeid * Find Nothing on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nothing * Nothing’s recently launched Ear (2): https://us.nothing.tech/products/ear-2 Stay Updated: * Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z * Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z * Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ * Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
After co-founding the successful Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, Carl Pei felt the tech industry was missing the fun and wonder he remembered as a dedicated gadget fan growing up in Sweden. Pei decided to launch a new smartphone brand, this time with an increased focus on thoughtful user interface and stylish yet practical designs. In only two years, the brand known as "Nothing" has gained a cult following and gone to $600 million in annualized revenue. On this episode of The Main Function, Pei reflects on the highs and lows that have come with the journey of pursuing excellence in hard tech. More on Nothing here: https://us.nothing.tech/ Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/MainFunction-apply Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/MainFunction-jobs Chapters (Powered by https://bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Coming Up 00:36 - Carl's journey into tech 02:47 - Starting OnePlus 05:27 - How Nothing came to be 07:07 - Building a new smartphone is hard 10:07 - Why Nothing made earbuds first 13:12 - Cultivating a cool brand 14:22 - The right Tim Cook/Jony Ive ratio 15:21 - Nothing's glyph interface 17:09 - Carl's favorite designs 19:38 - Advice for hard tech founders
In the highly competitive hardware industry full of heavily capitalized incumbents, how can new entrants stand out? Carl Pei thinks the answer starts with design and has looked outside of the technology industry for inspiration, from architecture to fashion to film. Catch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/NFz56GabsO8 Follow Carl on Twitter: https://twitter.com/getpeid Find Nothing on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nothing Stay Updated: * Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z * Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z * Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ * Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.