OnePlus Co-Founder Carl Pei Leaves Company For Real

A few minutes ago, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei confirmed he'd be leaving the company. "After nearly 7 years at OnePlus, I've made the difficult decision to say goodbye," said Pei, "I've never regretted trusting my gut feeling, and this time it's no different." The message comes after the launch of OnePlus 8T and OnePlus Nord (internationally) and was rumored for the past several days.

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei revealed his departure from the company in a release in the morning hours of October 16, 2020. "These past years, OnePlus has been my singular focus, and everything else has had to take a backseat. I'm looking forward to taking some time off to decompress and catch up with my family and friends," said Pei. "And then follow my heart on to what's next."

SEE TOO: OnePlus Nord Review: at what cost simplicity?

Since Pei is still a relatively young adult, it should come as no surprise that he'd suggest that he'd continue to work beyond his role with OnePlus. Suggesting that he'd follow his heart "on to what's next" could mean he'll be working with another company where he'd be in the public eye.

Meanwhile OnePlus has not announce that there'll be any direct replacement* for Carl Pei's role at this time. OnePlus isn't so massive a company that they'll need to fill Pei's role immediately – but since the announcement from Pei came through official OnePlus channels, it's not as if they've been caught off-guard.

*NOTE: An earlier leak about this situation suggested that Emily Dai would replace Carl Pei as the head of the Nord Product Line, and remains India Regional CEO.

Stick around as we learn more about what'll happen to OnePlus after the departure of Carl Pei, and what'll happen with Carl Pei after he's ready to return to the limelight. The other co-founder of OnePlus, Pete Lau, has shown no sign that he'll be leaving the company any time soon.