Ep #23 | WTF are Consumer Electronics? | Nikhil ft. Carl Pei, Rahul Sharma & Amit Khatri

WTF is with Nikhil Kamath

This episode is a playbook for any curious 20-something in India dreaming of building the next big consumer electronics brand. Whether it’s smartphones, earbuds, AI-powered glasses or health wearables, we dig into what it really takes to break into, and survive, this highly competitive space.

I sat down with three brilliant minds in the game who’ve actually done it: Carl Pei (Co-Founder, Nothing), Rahul Sharma (Co-Founder, Micromax), and Amit Khatri (Co-Founder, Noise). We tried to decode the what, how, and WTF of this industry—from regulations and the fairness of trade tariffs, to startup realities and what disruption might look like next.

You might just spot the next big idea as they share some untapped opportunities waiting to be built in this sector.

Resource Document: https://iridescent-party-a15.notion.site/Consumer-Electronics-Resource-Document-1e1aef3ec3e980f29b86dd9bae34410d

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:12 - How Apple sparked Carl’s love for tech

05:05 - The reason for Y Combinator’s success

07:28 - Carl’s ‘lazy genius’ approach towards his career

15:05 - How Nothing differentiated itself

16:36 - US tariff’s impact on China, India & the industry (Note: Since this episode was recorded before recent changes to global trade & tariff policies, some views may not reflect current regulations.)

22:10 - Carl’s philosophical views on life

24:23 - Rahul’s journey & the roots of his entrepreneurial spirit

29:30 - Micromax’s early days: From payphones to GSM innovation

38:23 - How traveling to villages led to Micromax’s success

50:47 - Competing with China & Micomax’s manufacturing pivot

1:00:00 - Apple’s vertical integration strategy: Lessons for companies & governments

1:05:00 - Learnings from Rahul’s risk-taking & resilience

1:09:00 - Amit’s journey from education to building Noise

1:23:34 - Roadmap for 20-somethings entering the electronics industry

01:41:47 - Identifying gaps in the commodity market

1:48:02 - Disruption in smartphones through design and AI opportunities

1:57:40 - Today’s youth vs. yesterday’s corporations

2:01:13 - Building India’s supply chain & unlocking its market opportunity

2:07:21 - An electronics launchpad for young entrepreneurs

2:16:45 - India’s semiconductor push & restarting efforts

2:22:26 - Future of TV: One UI for all streaming apps?

2:25:41 - Can India build a global ecosystem in electronics?

2:35:58 - Health wearables & EdTech opportunities

2:42:44 - Advice for 20-somethings who want to break into this industry

#NikhilKamath - Investor & Entrepreneur

Twitter: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio/

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#CarlPei - CEO & Co-Founder, Nothing

Twitter: https://x.com/getpeid

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/getpeid/

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#RahulSharma - Co-Founder, Micromax

Twitter: https://x.com/rahulsharma

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-sharma-83038634a/

#AmitKhatri - Co-Founder, Noise

Twitter: https://x.com/iamamitkhatri

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamamitkhatri/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsamitkhatri/