Hmm, this thread and the reports of shady practices make me wonder if this will affect the partnership with GrapheneOS[1]. It seems that such things shouldn't really happen on a device where security is a top priority, whether intentional or not.

1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47214645

Why does it matter? The GrapheneOS team will make the OS images. So as long as the phone is unlockable, has up-to-date firmware bundles, etc. who cares?