- Following reports earlier in the week, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei confirmed he’s leaving the company.
- Pei wasn’t specific on what he plans to do next.
On Friday, Carl Pei confirmed he’s leaving the company he helped found. “After nearly 7 years at OnePlus, I’ve made the difficult decision to say goodbye,” he wrote in a post on the OnePlus community forums.
Reports that Pei had left OnePlus started to circulate online at the start week after what seemed like internal documents from the company, showing that Pei was no longer a part of the leadership team, made their way onto Reddit. At the time, all OnePlus offered was a “no comment.”
Related: A history of OnePlus phones
In recent years, there were reports that there was tension between Pei and OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, but you don’t see that in the letter. “I am eternally grateful to Pete for taking a chance in this kid without a college degree, with nothing to his name but a dream,” he said. “The trust, mentorship, and camaraderie will never be forgotten. Thanks for the opportunity of a lifetime.”
According to a TechCrunch report, Pei plans to start his own venture and is currently in the process of raising capital. However, in his goodbye post, he doesn’t give too much of an indication of what he plans to do next. “I’m looking forward to taking some time off to decompress and catch up with my family and friends. And then follow my heart on to what’s next,” he writes. So there you have it, it’s the end of an era at OnePlus. We’ll likely learn what’s next for Pei in the months to come.
