Android Founder Andy Rubin Leaves Google
Andy Rubin is leaving Google to join a technology incubator dedicated to startups building hardware, according to published reports. Whether you are an Android fan or not, it's hard not to argue that Google's acquisition of the company Rubin founded was one of the most significant deals made by the search giant.
While Rubin continued to lead the Android team since Google acquired it in 2005, Google reassigned him last year to lead the company's moves into the field of robotics, which included overseeing the acquisition of numerous startups.
Rubin's departure comes a week after Google CEO Larry Page promoted Sundar Pichai to head up all of Google's product lines except for YouTube. Page in a memo to employees published in The Wall Street Journal said he's looking to create a management structure that can make "faster, better decisions."
That effectively put Pichai in charge of the emerging robotics business as well. A spokesman told The New York Times that James Kuffner, who has worked with Google's self-driving cars, will lead the company's robotics efforts.
The move comes ironically on the same day that Google sold off the hardware portion of its Motorola Mobility business to Lenovo. The two companies yesterday closed on the deal, announced in January. Lenovo said it will continue to leverage the Motorola brand.
As for Rubin, now that he's incubating startups, he'll no doubt be on the sell-side of some interesting companies again.
Posted by Jeffrey Schwartz on 10/31/2014 at 12:58 PM