After facing backlash over incidents including his dispute with comedian Kunal Kamra on after-sales service and his advocacy for a Narayana Murthy-endorsed 70-hour workweek, Ola Electric CEO Bhavish Aggarwal likely didn’t anticipate being outshone by another CEO’s humility. Yet, that’s precisely what happened when a video featuring Nothing CEO Carl Pei responding constructively to public criticism of his products gained traction on social media.
YouTuber and satirist Akash Banerjee highlighted the contrasting ways the two CEOs handle feedback in a sharp post on X.
“Hey Bhavish Aggarwal, take a look at this . This is the Nothing CEO—he’s sitting down and responding to YouTube reviews of his product. He frequently acknowledges design flaws, commits to improvements, explains certain choices, and occasionally pushes back, but never comes off as condescending, arrogant, or disrespectful.”
Pei, a co-founder of OnePlus who left in 2020 to launch Nothing, has encountered criticism in nearly every aspect of his new brand, yet he has openly admitted, “Yeah, maybe I was wrong. Everybody makes mistakes,” demonstrating humility.
Observers online quickly noticed the contrast between Pei’s and Aggarwal’s responses.
“Nothing is a brand for enthusiasts—they genuinely listen to consumers, which builds trust, while Ola, led by an oblivious CEO, does the opposite,” wrote commenter Aditya Chaurasia.
Another commenter expressed frustration with Aggarwal’s recent actions: “The CEO of [Ola] lacks character and accountability. Let’s not even compare him to @Nothing CEO Carl Pei.”
Aggarwal, who has previously faced criticism for his stance on non-binary pronouns and allegations of a hostile workplace at Ola Electric, is no stranger to controversy.
