[Update: Official] OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei leaves company for new hardware venture

Update 1 (10/16/2020 @ 10:38 AM ET): Carl has confirmed his departure from OnePlus. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on October 13, 2020, is preserved below.

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, who’s been the face of the company in the west for the last seven years, has reportedly left the company. News regarding his departure first popped up on Reddit (via AndroidPolice), when user JonSigur shared screenshots of internal memos at OnePlus. The memos listed the company’s leadership structure, but Pei’s name wasn’t included. The screenshots also mentioned that Emily Dai, who’s been in charge of the company’s operations in India, was recently appointed as the head of the Nord product line globally. Pei was previously in-charge of Nord, and he was a prominent figure in the recently released documentary about the phone’s development.

Two sources familiar with the matter have confirmed to Android Central that Pei had left his position at OnePlus in recent weeks, and no longer appears in the company’s latest organizational chart. Although OnePlus and Pei are yet to release a statement on the matter, a report from TechCrunch claims that Pei has left the company to start his own venture.

OnePlus is scheduled to launch the OnePlus 8T in just a day, and Pei’s departure in the midst of a major product launch has raised questions about the circumstances of his departure. The news comes just weeks before Pei’s latest project, the OnePlus Nord, is expected to make its way to US shores in the form of two affordable devices — the OnePlus Nord N10 and N100. The company’s other co-founder, Pete Lau, is still at the company and holds the position of CEO. However, he recently took on an additional role as Senior Vice President and Chief Product Experience Officer of OPLUS, an investment firm that oversees OnePlus, OPPO, and possibly others.

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Update: Carl Pei confirms his departure from OnePlus

In a post on the OnePlus Forums, Carl Pei has confirmed his departure from OnePlus. The post does not mention what his next venture will be.

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