Andy Rubin has stepped down as the head of Android, with Google appointing Sundar Pichai to take his place at the helm of the world’s most-used mobile software.
Rubin moved to Google when the web giant bought Android in 2005. The move brings Google’s mobile software, applications and Chrome browser under one umbrella. Larry Page, Google’s chief executive and co-founder, credited Rubin for evangelising Android more than half a decade ago – saying the OS now saw 750,000 activations a day.
Rubin built Android into a software platform used by most of the world’s largest handset manufacturers, from Samsung to HTC, supplanting the platform of Apple, which Page said was “pretty extraordinary progress for a decade’s work”.
Page and said the decision to switch was Rubin’s, and didn’t say what Rubin would do next.
“Going forward, Sundar Pichai will lead Android, in addition to his existing work with Chrome and Apps. Sundar has a talent for creating products that are technically excellent yet easy to use—and he loves a big bet,” Page wrote in a blog post.
“Andy’s decided it’s time to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google. Andy, more moonshots please!”
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