# CMF Goes Solo: Carl Pei Spins Off Nothing’s Sub-Brand Into a 100% Indian Company

URL: https://technosports.co.in/cmf-goes-solo-carl-pei-spins-off-nothings/  
Published: 2026-09-23  
Updated: 2026-09-23  
Author: Reetam Bodhak

Big shake-up in India’s smartphone world. **Nothing** CEO **Carl Pei** has confirmed that **CMF**, the budget-friendly sub-brand launched back in 2023, is breaking away to become a **standalone, majority Indian-owned company** — headquartered in India, with its own team and R&D on the ground. Nothing will still hold a stake and stay on as a partner, but CMF is now flying solo with a bold goal: scaling to **100 million smartphones a year**.

### Why Split CMF From Nothing?

In an open letter titled *“India Is Inevitable,”* Pei explained that India already has strong manufacturing muscle but lacks deep engineering and R&D capability — something he witnessed firsthand while building [Nothing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_(company)) in a market shaped by China’s supplier ecosystem. His belief: India has the talent and demand, but no home-grown consumer electronics brand pushing suppliers to build cutting-edge components locally. CMF is being positioned to fill that exact gap.

![CMF](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/CMF-n.jpg)

Pei didn’t hold back on why Indian smartphone brands lost their edge. According to him, the domestic market share crashed from **nearly 46% in 2015 to under 1% today**, largely because local players leaned on off-the-shelf ODM designs instead of investing in real engineering — while global brands kept innovating with better cameras, chips, and design every year.

### CMF’s Spin-Off: Key Facts

| Detail | Information |
| --- | --- |
| Parent brand | Nothing (founded by Carl Pei) |
| New entity | CMF, standalone & majority Indian-owned |
| Headquarters | India |
| Annual target | 100 million smartphones |
| 2026 smartphone launches | Paused (supply chain & component cost issues) |
| Other products | Expanding into TWS earbuds |
| Domestic brand share (2015 → now) | ~46% → under 1% |

Despite pausing new phone launches this year due to supply chain and rising component costs, CMF has been expanding its footprint with a growing **TWS (true wireless earbuds)** lineup — signaling it isn’t slowing down, just recalibrating.

For more breaking tech and smartphone industry updates, check out the latest coverage on [TechnoSports](https://www.technosports.co.in).

## FAQs

### **Q1. Is CMF still owned by Nothing?**

No — CMF is now a separate, majority Indian-owned company, though Nothing retains a stake and continues as a partner.

### **Q2. What is CMF’s long-term smartphone goal?**

Carl Pei wants CMF to scale to 100 million smartphones annually, built with in-house R&D in India.