Essential smartphone brand acquired by Carl Peiâs Nothing startup Late last month, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei announced his new startup company simply named âNothingâ. It was later revealed that the brand plans to release a pair of TWS earbuds. The company has plans to eventually release an ecosystem of devices that could connect to each other. If this sounded familiar itâs because now-defunct smartphone brand Essential was going to do the same. It seems that Essentialâs initial intention of creating this ecosystem of devices has aligned with Nothing as a new report reveals. 9to5Google found filings with the UKâs Intellectual Property Office that disclosed that former Essential CEO Andy Rubin has transferred ownership of Essentialâs brand assets to Carl Peiâs Nothing Technologies Limited.