A smartphone maker is ordering staff to return to the office 5 days a week, saying remote work is 'not compatible' with ambition and speed

• Another tech company is cracking down on remote working.
• Nothing, which makes smartphones, has told employees they must visit its London office five days a week.
• Nothing's CEO said remote working wasn't "compatible" with the company's ambitions.

The war against remote working is heating up — and now another tech company has told employees they need to be in the office full-time.

Smartphone maker Nothing has told staff they must come to the office five days a week, with the company's CEO suggesting that employees who aren't happy about it should find other jobs.

In an email to employees that he also posted on his LinkedIn page, Nothing CEO Carl Pei acknowledged that the move to transition from hybrid working to fully in-person work at the company's London office would be "controversial."

However, he claimed it was necessary to help ensure the quality of Nothing's products and its ability to compete with larger companies, adding that the company's way of operating does not "work well remotely."

"We are not looking to create a good business that gets acquired by a big company, we are looking to realize our full potential of becoming a generation-defining company. And we're really serious about moving fast," Pei wrote.

"Remote work is not compatible with a high ambition level plus high speed," he added.

Pei also said that the new setup "may not be a fit for everyone" and suggested that employees who are unhappy with the change should consider leaving for other jobs.

"We know it's not the right type of setup for everybody, and that's OK. We should look for a mutual fit," he wrote.

Nothing, known for selling low-priced Android smartphones with striking designs, is the latest company to attempt to get its staff to return to the office as the tide turns on working from home.

Tech companies like Amazon and Google have told most employees they must be physically present in the office at least 3 days a week, while other companies like Goldman Sachs have introduced full-time return-to-office policies.

Nothing's decision comes after former Google CEO Eric Schmidt told an audience at Stanford University that the tech giant was losing out in the AI arms race because of hybrid working.

Schmidt later walked back the comments, which were heavily criticized by both current and former Google employees.

Nothing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.