HomeTechnologyCarl Pei’s $200M bet: Nothing wants to build its own AI-first operating system

Carl Pei’s $200M bet: Nothing wants to build its own AI-first operating system

The company clearly wants to chart its own course, positioning itself as one of the first challengers to Apple and Google in rethinking what an operating system can be in the AI era.

September 17, 2025 / 10:27 IST
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Nothing
Nothing

Nothing CEO Carl Pei has revealed his most ambitious plan yet: creating a brand-new operating system designed for an AI-driven future. The announcement came as the company confirmed a fresh $200 million funding round, valuing Nothing at $1.3 billion.

The funds, Pei said in a community post, will go toward scaling distribution and fast-tracking the innovation roadmap. At the centre of that roadmap is a vision for an AI-native OS — one that goes far beyond the traditional app-based smartphone model.

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A billion operating systems for a billion people

Pei argues that the operating systems we use today are too generic. His pitch: an OS that is hyper-personalised, proactive, and able to execute tasks via intelligent agents. Rather than swiping through apps, users would interact with a system that knows their preferences and context, surfacing suggestions naturally and handling background tasks seamlessly.