Andy Rubin, head of Google's Android division, stepped down from the Android business platform to take on a new role, the company said on Wednesday.
Google Chief Executive Larry Page announced on a blog post that Rubin "has decided to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google." Larry did not divulge much information about his next post.
Talking about Rubin's contribution to Google Larry said that he "exceeded even the crazy ambitious goals we dreamed of for Android" and left "a really strong leadership team in place."
Rubin was co-founder and chief executive of Android Inc. After Google acquired the company in 2005, he became the senior vice president of mobile and digital content.
Chennai based Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Google Chrome and Apps, will take over the reins from Rubin.
"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. Take Chrome, for example. In 2008, people asked whether the world really needed another browser. Today, Chrome has hundreds of millions of happy users and is growing fast thanks to its speed, simplicity and security," said Larry.
Pichai, an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, joined Google in 2004. With the announcement of Pichai taking over Google's Android division, the Indian American made it to the list of Institute's famous alumni like Arun Sarin, former chief executive of Vodafone Group, and Vinod Gupta, chairman of Everest Group LLC.
"So while Andy's a really hard act to follow, I know Sundar will do a tremendous job doubling down on Android as we work to push the ecosystem forward," said Larry.
