Andy Rubin’s Essential could get a second chance at his life. Nothing, the new startup of OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has acquired the company’s brand. Dig through the database, found that Rubin transferred ownership of Essential’s trademarks and logo to Pei’s new business on January 6, 2021. It’s not clear if the startup also picked up Essential’s patents, nor what he intends to do with the logo and trademarks now that he owns them.
When Pei was out for the first time earlier this month, he said his first product would be a pair of wireless headphones, and later in 2021 he promises more devices. “We are building an ecosystem of smart devices,” he said. Bloomberg. ‘We’re starting with simpler products, wireless earbuds. We are going to have several products throughout the year, not just audio products, and ultimately we want to build them so that these devices talk to each other. ‘
If buying Essential’s brands is a sign, Nothing is planned to release a phone, and the company is gambling that the legacy of Rubin’s startup will do more than bad. Despite all its shortcomings, Essential had a passionate fanbase who loved the PH-1, the only phone he released. However, the company got caught up in controversy after it emerged that Rubin may not have been transparent about the exact reasons.
Even if nothing ends up sitting on the brands, Essential’s legacy will likely live on in other ways. At the end of 2020, more than two dozen former employees will end up at a company founded by Jason Keats, the former head of R&D at Essential. The startup plans to release a device later this year. Meanwhile, nothing promised to share more details about its upcoming devices by the end of February.