Nothing, a British smartphone startup aiming to challenge Apple's dominance in the industry, is bringing its staff back to the office full-time in pursuit of growth. CEO of Nothing Carl Pei defended in a long email the necessity for his 450 workers to report to work five days a week, refuting a workplace policy that has supported remote work from the company's founding four years ago.
"We've come a long way in a short space of time. We are the only company to have established a smartphone business in the last 10 years. We are the fastest-growing smartphone brand in India at 567% YoY. Yet, we are at 0.1% of our potential. With the solid start we've made, we really have the chance to create a generational tech company that can change the world. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity that we've earned together, and now it's time to double down," he said in the email to staff.
Last Friday, we made an important decision to work 5 days a week in-office in London.
This is the email I sent to everyone on the @nothing team.
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We’ve come a long way in a short space of time. We are the only company to have established a smartphone business in the last…— Carl Pei (@getpeid) August 19, 2024
Mr Pei stated that although remote or hybrid work environments have proven successful for certain companies, they do not support the high standards of ambition and speed necessary for Nothing to meet its goals. He identified three primary reasons for the change- the company's goal to become a tech company that defines a generation; the necessity of close cooperation in the production of physical goods; and the significance of creativity and innovation in outperforming more established rivals.
"First of all, we make physical products where design, engineering, manufacturing and quality have to collaborate closely together to deliver products to our users. This does not work well remotely," he said.
The CEO added, "We are not looking to create a good business that gets acquired by a big company, we are looking to realize our full potential of becoming a generation-defining company. And we're really serious about moving fast. Remote work is not compatible with a high ambition level plus high speed."
Mr Pei's email also mentioned that the new mandate will go into effect in two months and that he plans to host a town hall in London to address any concerns raised by staff members.
The CEO also advised staff members who were unable to work five days a week to find alternative jobs. "We know it's not the right type of setup for everybody, and that's okay. We should look for a mutual fit. You should find an environment where you thrive, and we need to find people who want to go the full mile with us in the decades ahead," he concluded.
