Are you reading this on your smartphone?
Nothing’s CEO and co-founder Carl Pei’s ‘crazy’ prediction for the future is that nothing will displace the smartphone. Last fall at an FF event, we discussed the trend-driven nature of tech where fads come and go as Carl used VR, AR and drones as examples. But he predicts that 10 years from now, we’ll still be scrolling on our smartphones.
In 20 years, he sees technology becoming more seamless and fading into our everyday lives. This is also his mission for Nothing: “crafting intuitive, flawlessly connected products that improve our lives without getting in the way”.
In the future, technology will be everywhere and nowhere at the same time, emulating that feeling of …nothing.
00:00:02:04 - 00:00:35:13
Speaker 1
Hello and welcome to Crazy Intel. It's not a podcast about big ideas. I'm your host, Michael Stothard, an investor first minute capital. This is a bite sized episode recorded at a Founders Forum event up in Scotland. And I'm speaking to co pay the founder of the consumer electronics manufacturer, nothing. I started by asking him what was his one big crazy prediction for the future.
00:00:35:20 - 00:00:36:06
Speaker 1
Okay.
00:00:36:21 - 00:01:05:04
Speaker 2
My crazy prediction for the future is kind of boring, but sometimes maybe the boring prediction becomes what's going to happen. I don't believe that there's anything that's going to displace the smartphone in the next ten years. I see it very hard and there's a lot of fads that come and go in our industry. You know, a couple of years ago was all about VR, then air, and then drones, and then cameras, and now it's about electric vehicles.
00:01:05:21 - 00:01:16:12
Speaker 2
All these things come and go. But, you know, nothing has really, really displaced the role that the smartphone has in our lives. I think in ten years, we're still going to spend 6 hours a day on our smartphones.
00:01:16:24 - 00:01:28:08
Speaker 3
So you can't see the nothing phone connected to your nothing glasses. Which is which is doing augmented reality and playing Pokemon go on x, etc..
00:01:29:13 - 00:01:49:11
Speaker 2
I find it very hard to believe that people are going to wear some kind of glasses for a prolonged period of time. I think in the far future, maybe in 20 years, hopefully technology is all around us, but also kind of seamless, fading into the background. So, you know, it recognizes and interacts with us. All the data is in the cloud.
00:01:50:06 - 00:02:08:21
Speaker 2
Say, I'm here, this table becomes my my computer. Say I'm brushing my teeth. The mirror becomes my my computer. I'm driving my car. The car becomes my computer. I think that's like the far future. But today, you know, we're still using our phone.
00:02:09:00 - 00:02:16:03
Speaker 3
I feel like the brand of nothing will be in a perfect position in a world in 20 years time when technology is sort of.
00:02:16:09 - 00:02:32:24
Speaker 2
It's everywhere. Yeah, exactly. So we thought about that when we chose the branding. Nothing in the future. Hopefully we can create a or contribute to a future where technology is everywhere but also nowhere at the same time kind of the feeling of nothing.
00:02:34:08 - 00:02:40:20
Speaker 3
And that's what you what your products do so, so, so beautifully. Thank you so much for your time.
00:02:40:24 - 00:02:41:08
Speaker 2
Thank you.
00:02:41:10 - 00:02:43:16
Speaker 3
Appreciate it.