OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei said to have exited the company for a "new venture"

OnePlus has lost one of its key executives following the apparent departure of co-founder Carl Pei. Android Central is reporting that Pei left the company some time in the past few weeks and, according to its sources, no longer appears in the most recent organizational chart. OnePlus is a darling brand for many die-hard Android fans, so news of Pei’s departure after nearly seven years will come as a shock to some.

Most recently, Pei had been heading up the OnePlus Nord affordable smartphone line. Early OnePlus fans had started to become critical of the company as its flagship handsets have become increasingly expensive. OnePlus had originally launched with the catchphrase “Flagship Killer” as its early flagships delivered flagship features at prices that significantly undercut the competition. The Nord line was introduced to try to bring the value equation back to OnePlus smartphones.

The timing of Pei’s departure seems to have come not long after the first OnePlus Nord smartphone was launched in early August. OnePlus has been approached for comment by several publications but the only official remark thus far has been “No comment”. As some have suggested, this only seems to confirm that Pei has indeed moved on. Following the publication of the Android Central story, TechCrunch reported that Pei left OnePlus for a new startup, although it isn’t clear what 31-year old entrepreneur has planned.