British smartphone maker Nothing has started cutting jobs across its global operations as the company moves to reduce costs after a rapid period of hiring, City AM reported.

The King's Cross-headquartered hardware company, founded by Carl Pei, who previously co-founded Chinese smartphone company OnePlus, has begun consultations with employees in multiple regions and has already laid off some staff, sources familiar with the matter told City AM. Nothing entered a smartphone market dominated by Apple and Samsung, alongside a crowded field of Chinese manufacturers including Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, making cost discipline particularly consequential for a challenger brand.

More than 100 roles could be affected across Nothing's global workforce of about 800 people, the sources said. The final scale of the layoffs has not yet been determined because consultation processes are still under way.

Around 25 jobs are understood to be at risk within Nothing's global marketing team, with most of those roles based in the UK. The affected teams include product marketing, social media, creative, production and project management. Some mobile and software product marketing work is also expected to shift to India, where the company opened a flagship store in Bengaluru and where many global hardware brands have expanded operations to tap a large consumer market and lower labor costs.

Nothing has expanded rapidly since it launched in London in 2020. The company has attracted backing from investors and figures including Tiger Global and Charlie XCX, who also serves as its global brand ambassador. Nothing was valued at $1.3bn in 2025 and surpassed $1bn in cumulative revenue last year, a 150 per cent increase from the previous year.

Earlier this month, the company launched its latest "Phone (4b)" model, which retails for around £300.

However, the business has been dealing with a rising cost base after expanding headcount quickly. Nothing also made layoffs in Shenzhen earlier this year, primarily in its sales and marketing teams, City AM understands. City AM could not immediately establish how many roles were affected in that round.

The company has told employees that it is restructuring its global workforce, citing the need to streamline operations ahead of its next phase of growth. Consultations on the extent of the layoffs are continuing in some countries.

"We've shared with employees that we're restructuring parts of our global team to prepare for our next phase of growth" said a Nothing spokesperson. "We are introducing dedicated business units – including an AI-native business unit – and consolidating individual countries into regional hubs to operate much more efficiency".

The company added: "As local consultation processes are still ongoing in some countries, we cannot share any further details at this time. While these are hard decisions, it is a necessary step to position us to shape the next era of personal computing."

Marketing Team Bears the Brunt

Sources told City AM that the UK-based global marketing function has been hit hardest after expanding quickly over the past year. Multiple sources said the cuts appear intended to bring the team back closer to its previous size.

Paid media and CRM teams have largely avoided the restructuring after recent departures had already reduced headcount, according to one person.

The overhaul comes weeks after City AM reported that Nothing's accounts remained overdue even after the company avoided compulsory strike-off by Companies House.

The registrar discontinued strike-off proceedings after the company showed cause to remain on the register. However, Nothing's accounts for the year ending 31 December 2024 have still not been filed.

The phone maker has expanded into Best Buy stores across the US, opened a flagship store in Bengaluru and recently launched several new smartphones and audio products.