The recent Nothing Store launch in Bangalore is sparking a lot of controversy among fans. The opening of the new Indiranagar location was intended to be a new milestone for the company’s expansion. It would be one of the places where the company will sell the upcoming Nothing Phone (4a) series. However, the event was quickly overshadowed by reports of chaotic crowd management and even allegations of police intervention. This is what we know with views from both sides of the story.
The chaos surrounding the Nothing Store Bangalore launch
By 5:00 AM, hundreds were already in line. Some had traveled 15 hours to be there, expecting a celebration of the tech brand they supported. Instead, they described an environment that felt more like a confrontation than a launch.
One attendee, @app_settings, shared a frustrating experience on X/Twitter: “There were people that had been waiting in line since 5 AM. People that had traveled hours to be there… literally no one from Nothing was actually interacting with the people waiting—they were all inside the store and behind a bunch of barricades.” He further alleged that the situation escalated when local authorities arrived: “The police got involved and started beating up people waiting in front of the Nothing store.”
Another fan on Reddit expressed a similar sense of betrayal, noting the lack of transparency regarding entry. “The organizers kept saying all the bands were already distributed, with no clear info. One person even said they weren’t distributing free food (not even the point), but the way it was communicated was rude.” For many, the most hurtful part was the feeling that they were merely props for a marketing video. “It felt like the event was more about creating ‘hype visuals’ than actually managing the crowd,” the user added.
The official stance: A focus on safety
Inside the store, the perspective was entirely different. Nothing’s co-founder, Akis Evangelidis, found himself at the center of the storm. From his point of view, the sheer volume of people made strict crowd control a matter of life and death. The attendance figures reportedly amounted to over 2,000.
Responding to the allegations on social media, Evangelidis stated, “Our primary focus throughout has been everyone’s safety. We distributed 1,000 numbered wristbands and asked anyone without one to return later in order to prevent overcrowding… particularly in light of the tragic incident that occurred in the city last year.”
Addressing the most serious claims, Evangelidis was categorical: “There has been some misinformation circulating and I can categorically confirm that no violence was used at any point. I remained outside for most of the time to ensure everything ran smoothly.” In an attempt to mend fences, he canceled his flight to stay in Bangalore, promising to be at the store the following morning to personally spend time with those who were turned away.
The aftermath
In the end, for a company that markets itself on transparency and being “for enthusiasts,” the gap between a co-founder’s safety protocols and a fan’s experience of being shoved by security is a significant hurdle. Nothing celebrated the high attendance as a victory for its expansion in India. Still, the loss of trust from its core community is a real cost.
While Evangelidis stayed behind to hand-deliver the experience fans missed on day one, many left Bangalore with a bitter taste. The challenge for Nothing moving forward isn’t just building great hardware. They need to ensure the logistics of their physical stores don’t break the very community that made them famous.
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