From Apple fan to critic: Nothing CEO Carl Pei explains what went wrong with big tech innovation

Carl Pei

Nothing CEO and co-founder Carl Pei doesn’t mince his words. He’s been just as open about praising other smartphone brands as he has been about calling them out-Apple included. But in a recent interview with Wired, Pei made it clear that while the old Apple inspired him, today’s Apple just doesn’t do it anymore.

“When I was younger, the first iPod and the first iPhone really blew my mind,” he said. “That’s why I got into this industry. But now, companies that used to be creative have just become big, corporate machines. They’re not really exciting for the younger generation anymore.”

Pei’s frustration with Apple isn’t just nostalgia. He pointed to Apple’s recent AI push, marketed as “Apple Intelligence”,as an example of all talk and no substance.

“Last year, they made a huge deal about Apple Intelligence. A year later, it’s just some generated emojis. Consumers aren’t buying it,” Pei said, sounding more disappointed than angry.

Ironically, Pei himself is a big believer in AI. He thinks the smartphone will soon evolve into a much more personal, predictive device. In fact, he believes the future of the smartphone isn’t a bunch of apps—it’s one intelligent system that knows you inside out.

“I believe that in the future, your phone will have just one app, and that app will be the OS. It’ll know you so well that it’ll anticipate your needs,” he explained. “Instead of unlocking your phone and doing everything manually, your phone will just do things for you.”

He called it a shift from personalization to automation. It’s not just about showing you what you might like anymore, it’s about doing it for you before you even ask.

Of course, Pei knows this sounds a bit far-fetched right now. He laughed about how no one would want a phone without apps today. That’s why he says the transition will take time.

“We can’t just get rid of apps and expect people to love it. We’ll ship something small, get feedback, improve it, and do it again. I think it’ll take seven to ten years. People love apps, so change won’t happen overnight.”