Pei’s posts on X are laced with humour, self-deprecation (sometimes), and a desire to stand out from his peers. To the latter end, Pei did something unusual—he reviewed competitors’ smartphones in a series of videos that were quite fun and engaging. He even briefly became a YouTuber in a fun launch video for Nothing Ear (2).
Ahead of the Nothing Phone (2a) release in India, Pei started referring to himself as “Carl Bhai” in an attempt to win over Indian users. It was quirky, inoffensive, and not something you’d expect from the CEO of a consumer tech brand.
Nothing debuted with a splash in 2021 and quickly became hot property when it launched the Phone (1) in 2022. Nothing’s—and by extension, Pei’s—popularity surged, even more so than he was at the helm at OnePlus.
There’s such a thing as trying to connect with your customers, and then there’s buying into your own hype.
The launch of the Nothing Phone (3a) series was followed by posts from Pei on the microblogging platform. They were all vintage Carl Pei. They were also rather hit-and-miss.
One post from two days ago stood out in particular. On the face of it, it seemed like a classic Carl Pei post. However, it was Pei’s response to a reply that left me baffled.
In the post in question, a self-congratulatory Pei suggested that the Phone (3a) was a success on Day 1, and that haters were “coping”.
> be me
> launched phone 3a today
> reviews are ????
> people vibing with Essential
> solid first-day sales
> haters coping
> time to touch grass ????
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) March 4, 2025
However, when one user suggested that the (3a) series could have had faster read/write speeds and more efficient RAM, Pei told the user to “stop crying”.
Stop crying bro
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) March 4, 2025
There’s trying to be edgy and witty, and then there’s something tone-deaf like this in which the co-founder of a company, which is in the business of selling people business it is to sell devices to people, telling those very people to “stop crying” because they wanted better hardware? No. Just no.
The Phone (3a) series comes with UFS 2.2. I won’t get into technical details, but it’s absolutely fine for a phone in this price range. I have been testing both the Phone (3a) and the (3a) Pro and my review is imminent. Just because it’s fine doesn’t mean people shouldn’t want more for their money, or be told to “stop crying” because they’re not paying flagship prices.
There’s standing apart, and then there’s sticking out like a sore thumb. I admire Carl Pei. I had even written a eulogy for him in 2022.
I expected better from him.
Also read: MWC 2025 | Nothing unveils Phone (3a), (3a) Pro — Details here
(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)
First Published: Mar 6, 2025 9:49 PM IST
