Nothing co-founder denies exit report, says Phone (4b) broke sales records instead
Nothing is pushing back hard against a report claiming the company is exiting more than a dozen global markets. Digit reported, citing multiple sources, that Nothing is contracting its global footprint, cutting headcount, and managing internal financial strain, even as its India business posts strong growth. Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis has since denied the report on X, calling it “fake news” and disputing several of its specifics.
What the report claimed
According to Digit, Nothing is in the process of shutting down operations in 12 or more markets, including the Middle East, Japan, and parts of Europe. The report cited a 40 percent reduction in global headcount, with Nothing’s R&D unit, split between China and London, facing layoffs of roughly 50 percent and 30 to 40 percent respectively in each location.
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On sales, Digit’s report pegged Phone (4b) shipments at approximately 20,000 units globally since launch, with the Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro together reaching around 150,000 units. The report also linked this slowdown to rising memory prices, which Counterpoint Research says have risen roughly fourfold since September 2025, squeezing brands operating at lower price points particularly hard.
The report also pointed to trouble at CMF, Nothing’s sub-brand. According to Digit, CMF has no new smartphone planned for 2026, with Akis Evangelidis previously confirming that current memory pricing made it difficult to build a genuine successor at a price that made sense for the brand. CMF’s Himanshu Tandon has also stepped down recently, a detail not disputed in Evangelidis’ response.
Nothing’s response
Evangelidis rejected the core claim of market exits directly, stating that Nothing is not shutting down any markets. He also disputed the report’s sales figures, saying the Phone (4b) sold 29,537 units on day one alone, which he described as a record for its price segment, a number that sits well above the roughly 20,000 global units Digit’s report cited since launch.
Where things stand
The two accounts agree on more than they disagree on. Both confirm some level of restructuring and job losses at Nothing, and neither disputes the CMF product freeze or Himanshu Tandon’s exit. Where they diverge sharply is on scale and framing, whether this amounts to market exits or a reorganisation into regional hubs, and how large the headcount reductions actually are.
The Phone (4b) sales discrepancy is also worth talking about. Digit’s figure covers cumulative shipments since launch, while Evangelidis’s number is specifically for day one, so the two aren’t exactly measuring the same thing, though the gap is still large enough to be notable. Digit said it reached out to Nothing for comment before publishing its story and will update it if it receives a response. We’ll update this piece too if either side shares further details.
