Nothing CEO Carl Pei publicly predicts that AI agents will make smartphone apps obsolete. Speaking to TechCrunch, Pei argues the interface paradigm is shifting from app-based interaction to intent-based systems where AI acts on behalf of users without requiring them to navigate discrete applications.
The claim matters because Pei is not a peripheral figure. Nothing has shipped real hardware, built a user base, and positioned itself as a design-forward alternative to Samsung and Apple. When an active hardware CEO declares the app model dead, it signals that product roadmaps are already moving in this direction, not just research labs.
The full interview is worth reading for how Pei frames the transition timeline and what it means for Nothing's own software strategy. The tension between his vision and the App Store duopoly that controls distribution is the story underneath the story.
[READ ORIGINAL →]