The CEO didn’t say anything about “apps disappearing” from your phone.

Speaking at SXSW, Nothing CEO Karl Pei reiterated his thoughts on the future of the smartphone experience, saying, “Apps are going to disappear.”

AI, whether you like it or not, thingand it plays a big role in the future of smartphones. And from the sounds of it, Nothing CEO Karl Pei seems to have some big ideas about what the future of smartphone experiences has in store.

Pei’s big pitch? A world where AI agents do everything behind the scenes, without apps.

He explains:

Advertisement – Scroll to see more content

…I think in terms of AI in software, people need to understand that apps are going to die. If you’re a founder or a startup and your app is where your core value lies, it’s going to be destroyed whether you like it or not. If you have a very strong brand or distribution, you may want to delay it a bit, but if you don’t, you may want to think differently.

For example, if agents are going to do things for you in the future, and you have an app, why not open an API or MCP so that agents can use it smoothly?I’ve seen on smartphones that some companies are trying to mimic the human touch on smartphones. Let’s say an AI agent wants to click like Uber and enter a destination address on the keyboard. It’s not the future. The future is not agents using human interfaces. You need to create an interface for the agent to use. I think that’s the more future-proof method.

Pei has commented on this before, saying about a year ago that he believes “there’s only going to be one app on the entire phone, and that’s going to be the OS.” No company is tackling that idea, focusing on efforts like building their own “AI-native devices” or Essential Apps, which allow users to build home screen widgets that can replace full app usage in ideal settings.

The “some companies” he’s referring to here are apparently also talking about Google’s recently announced screen automation with Gemini. This allows the AI assistant to take over some apps like Uber and prepare rides and orders in the background, which can then be completed manually.

Pei previously admitted that an app-free future could be “seven to 10 years away” because “people love using apps.” This time, he went on to say that he thinks smartphones will still be around for at least five years, “but I think the operating systems will change significantly,” and that there will be “new devices” in addition to mobile phones.

The interview continued with Pei’s definition of a “flagship,” which he described as “a showcase of the most creative ideas.” He added that there may be talks with mobile phone companies and that Nothing has any intention of “taking the US seriously” when it comes to mobile phones, but that the US is the largest customer for Nothing’s audio products.

You can read the full interview below.