British smartphone startup Nothing, which aims to challenge Apple’s dominance in the industry, is bringing its employees back to the office full-time in search of growth. In a lengthy email, Nothing CEO Carl Pei defended the requirement for his 450 employees to come to work five days a week, contradicting a workplace policy that has supported remote work since the company’s founding four years ago.
“We’ve come a long way in a very short time. We’re the only company to have built a smartphone business in the last 10 years. We’re the fastest-growing smartphone brand in India, growing 567% year-on-year. Yet, we’re at 0.1% of our potential. With the solid start we’ve made, we truly have a chance to build a generational technology company that can change the world. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity we’ve earned together, and now it’s time to double down on it,” he said in an email to employees.
Last Friday we made the important decision to work 5 days a week in our London office.
This is the email I sent to everyone @Nothing Team.
,
We have come a long way in a very short time. We are the only company to have established a smartphone business in the last few years…
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) August 19, 2024
Mr Pei said that although remote or hybrid work environments have proven successful for some companies, they do not support the high standards of ambition and speed needed to meet Nothing’s goals. He identified three primary reasons for the change—the company’s goal to become a tech company that defines a generation; the need for closer collaboration in the production of physical goods; and the importance of creativity and innovation in outperforming more established rivals.
“First of all, we make physical products, where design, engineering, manufacturing and quality have to work closely together to deliver the product to our users. This is not conducive to remote work,” he said.
The CEO said, “We’re not trying to build a great business that some big company acquires, we want to realize our full potential to become a generation-defining company. And we’re really serious about moving fast. Working remotely is not compatible with high ambition levels and high speed.”
Mr Pei’s email also mentioned that the new order will come into effect in two months and that they plan to hold a town hall in London to address any concerns raised by staff members.
The CEO also advised employees who were unable to work five days a week to find alternative jobs. “We know this isn’t the right kind of setup for everyone, and that’s OK. We need to look for a mutual fit. You need to find an environment where you can thrive, and we need to find people who want to work with us fully for decades to come,” he concluded.
