Update, October 12, 2020 (07:00 PM ET): Two separate sources speaking with TechCrunch have apparently confirmed that Carl Pei has left OnePlus. According to the report, Pei is starting “a new venture” and “is in talks with investors to raise capital.” We will update this with more details as they arrive.
Original article, October 12, 2020 (05:50 PM ET): Two men started the smartphone company OnePlus: Pete Lau and Carl Pei. Lau is the CEO of the brand and just received a new role at its parent organization OPLUS. However, a rumor that broke earlier today suggests Pei is no longer with the brand at all.
According to a rumor first posted by Android Police, some internal OnePlus documents leaked to Reddit. The documents — which may or may not be legitimate, there’s no way to tell — suggest that Pei is no longer a part of the leadership team.
We reached out to OnePlus directly for a statement. The company declined to comment. It should be noted that Android Police also received a “no comment” response from the company.
Related: OnePlus phones: A history of the company’s entire lineup so far
The previously mentioned documents also suggest that Pei’s currently-known position as the leader of the Nord line is now occupied by someone else. According to the leaked info, Emily Dai is now the leader of the Nord team.
Carl Pei featured very prominently in several documentary videos OnePlus published related to the development of the OnePlus Nord. If he is no longer in charge of that team, that would strongly suggest he is no longer a part of OnePlus.
We will update this article as soon as OnePlus confirms or denies the rumor.
