Andy Rubin steps down as Android chief

[Shawn Knight]

Andy Rubin has decided to step down as the head of Google’s Android division. He will be handing the reins over to Sundar Pichai who will take over Android in addition to his work with Chrome and Apps, according to a post on Google’s official blog by CEO Larry Page.

Page said Rubin would be starting a new chapter at Google although there was no mention of his new role moving forward. Rubin first approached the search giant in 2004 to peddle an open-source operating system that he believed would drive innovation across the mobile industry. As Page points out in the blog post, most people thought he was nuts but his insight struck a chord with Google.

At the time, Google had a closet full of phones and they were building software pretty much on a per-device basis. At that rate, Page said it was nearly impossible to make a great mobile experience.

The rest is pretty much history as Android is now the most popular mobile operating system in the world. Google now has more than 60 manufacturers and over 750 million devices have been activated to date. Users have downloaded more than 25 billion apps from Google Play.

With Pichai taking over Android and continuing his role with Chrome and Apps, at least some in the industry believe Android and Chrome OS may finally merge, shoring up rumors of such a move in recent time.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/51933-andy-rubin-steps-down-as-android-chief.html

 

[Critica1Hit]

When I first glanced at the news I kind of freaked out, thinking Andy was going to a different company. But if he stepped down to start other adventures within Google, then at least that's a relief. Here's hoping the new guy can keep the momentum going...

 

[ArthurZ]

My thinking Chrome OS and Android are going to be bridged this is why the move

 

[St1ckM4n]

Interesting... just before KLP release too. Disagreements, perhaps?

 

[Scshadow]

Not being fully informed about the internals of google personnel, I say with reservations in case of inaccuracy, thanks to Andy Rubin for a great mobile operating system. Android has filled a great need and has made iOS the inferior phone OS. I will always love the openness of Android and how people are allowed to make their own custom android roms. This versatility that harnesses the talent of 3rd party devs is a simple but phenomenal concept and surely the head of the android division must have played a role in that. I'm looking forward to new products and I'm hopping the new guy doesn't screw android up.

 

[yorro]

I guess I'm not surprised https://www.techspot.com/community/...s-you-to-pay-1-299.190063/page-2#post-1280701

Google Play for the desktop is next, calling it right now.

 

[TS-56336]

It's curious what may have happened here, but it could be really simple: Pichai is someone Google put a lot behind, and he's done quite well, and sometimes you just have to shuffle things around. I'd be surprised if Rubin weren't being put into something where his expertise can help Google even more.

 

[yorro]

It's curious what may have happened here, but it could be really simple: Pichai is someone Google put a lot behind, and he's done quite well, and sometimes you just have to shuffle things around. I'd be surprised if Rubin weren't being put into something where his expertise can help Google even more.

The move is the first step towards Google's desktop domination.