As shutdown rumors are swirling around, OnePlus has lost its CEO in India — the same person who recently denied there was anything wrong.
The Economic Times reports that Robin Liu, CEO of OnePlus India, has stepped down from his role and is serving his final days at the company. The report also cites sources who say that “an ongoing restructuring of the company’s business in global markets” is underway.
OnePlus responded to the report, confirming Liu’s departure but saying that operations will continue as usual. In another statement, OnePlus says:
We thank Robin for his contributions to OnePlus India. He moves on to pursue his personal passions, and we wish him the very best for his future endeavours.
OnePlus India operations continue with local strategy and business continuity ensured.
It’s not uncommon for executives to move on from their positions, but the timing here is not great.
Robin Liu is the person who, barely two months ago, publicly denied rumors of OnePlus shutting down. That was in response to what was, at the time, an AI-written and overly sensational article that cited years of prior OnePlus history without really narrowing down any recent changes. But, as we said at the time, the writing had been on the wall for quite some time.
The news of Liu’s departure comes just a day after a known and fairly reliable leaker posted (and deleted) a more substantial rumor about the future of OnePlus, in which the company would be largely shutting down operations outside of China. This new report from The Economic Times seems to back that up, with sources noting a “restructuring” of OnePlus’ global business.
The future of OnePlus does not exactly sound great, but we’ll have to wait and see. The red flags are certainly popping up, though.
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