Google’s Android division has lost another key member today, with Android Vice President of Product Management for Android, Hugo Barra, said to be leaving the company to join Chinese phone manufacturer Xiaomi.
The reasoning behind Barra’s sudden move is unclear, however, All Things D is speculating that a ‘personal situation related to the end of a relationship’ with another Googler, who is now seeing Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, might have something to do with it, although his resignation was tendered before this happened.
Barra joined Google in 2008 after the company he formerly worked at, Nuance, was purchased by the company. He rose through the ranks to become one of the key figures behind Android’s success and development.
After Android’s founder, Andy Rubin, Barra is the second high-ranking individual to leave the Android divison, with Rubin working on new efforts within Google. Jean-Baptiste Quéru also recently left the Android Open Source Project due to frustration with Qualcomm and their legalities for drivers.
Will this cause more people to become unsettled and leave the Android division, or Google altogether? We hope not, but we’ll keep you posted if it happens.
Could very well be just a better offer financially
maybe he thinks miui has a brighter future than android? even though it’s based on android…
Wow, this is huge. He was the main person that led Android presentations, new android versions etc. Pretty big loss to lose him.
Something big must be happening behind the scenes. Some sort of major differences of opinion on maybe where Android is headed or how it interacts with its partners or something. A guy of this quality doesn’t just leave the company (not just the Android division) for no reason.
Would be interesting to hear from him or Google the reason why he left, but of course they won’t tell us.
Apparently he has been made Vice President of Xiaomi Global and they probably broke the bank just to recruit him. And there is the rumour (the Verge, Engadget etc) that he broke up with another google employee who is now going out with Sergey Brin. Although the break up is being cited to have happened after his resignation.
Sundar Pichai is the Indian guy I’m referring to. He is so stupid and can’t present anything.
Hey Stevo you are entitled to your own opinion but I would definitely be afraid to work for you if that’s the reason you want him gone. For me at least Sundar Pichai comes across as extremely professional, intelligent and someone who knows his job. He may not necessarily be the most exciting presenter but I think he is pretty okay. Anyone that’s my 2 cents, and you are definitely welcome to yours. Have an awesome day 🙂
I want that Indian guy gone too
Just out of interest, why do you want the ‘Indian guy’ gone?
There are a large amount of Indian and indeed employees of other ethnicities employed at Google. Any particular one and a reason?
The fact that he refers to Sundar Pichai as ‘that Indian guy’ indicates that he never even bothered to learn his name, uses race as a man’s sole defining characteristic and is probably a not-so-secret racist.
Wow very much unexpected. Hopefully mathias duarte doesn’t move as well