There’s some rather large news coming out of Mountain View today as Android lead Andy Rubin has decided to hand over the reins. The word comes direct from Google CEO Larry Page who tells us Rubin will start a new chapter at Google.
In Andy’s place, Sundar Pichai will handle the Android team, also working with the Chrome side of things. Looking ahead, we might expect to see the two operating systems fall closer together with potentially more crossover.
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.
We’re anxious to see what Andy Rubin ends up working on next; he seems like he’s got plenty of freedom and clout at this point.
Also worth noting in today’s news are a few milestones for the Android platform:
- Global partnership of over 60 manufacturers
- More than 750 million devices have been activated globally
- 25 billion apps have now been downloaded from Google Play
