In an interview with Inverse, Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing, spoke about the company’s expansion plans. Accordingly, the USA has the highest priority and should become the primary market for the Nothing Phone (2). The Nothing Phone (1) went the opposite way – it simply lacked support for the cellular bands used by US network operators. While there is a matching $300 model, this is for beta testing only. That should change with the Nothing Phone (2), which will be launched at the end of 2023.
“We decided to make the U.S. our No. 1 priority in terms of markets”
Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing
So far, Nothing only sells its Ear (stick) earbuds in the US, which actually accounts for a third of all sales. Pei sees this as a sign that the Phone (2) will have similar success in the new market. The new model will be of higher quality than the original. However, Pei was reluctant to call it a flagship. Nothing wants to rely on a refined software experience and innovative hardware design rather than the best hardware.
The Phone (1) simply didn’t have the resources to develop a version for the US market. US carriers require smartphones to go through a certification process and certain features to be included in the software. According to Pei, there were only five engineers on the mobile team at the beginning, so work on the Nothing OS operating system had to be outsourced. The team has now been expanded and around 100 specialists are working on the software and on the Nothing Phone (2). Nothing’s Android 13 beta is developed entirely in-house.
Nothing Phone (2) as an alternative to Apple and Samsung
The company has expanded significantly since it was founded a few years ago. From 200 employees in 2021 Nothing has grown to around 400 in 2023. Revenue has also increased significantly, from $24 million in the first year to $200 million in 2022. Pei sees his opportunity, citing research that suggests US consumers are slowly bored by the dominance of Apple and Samsung. There are still Motorola and OnePlus as alternatives, after that not much will come.
Part of the growth plan is the opening of more stationary stores. The first store opened last year in London’s Soho and has done well. However, Pei firmly believes that Nothing needs more products to make the business profitable. You can follow the source link to read the full interview with Carl Pei.
