Google Chrome Boss Sundar Pichai Replaces Andy Rubin as Head of Android

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

What will become of Android following a surprise management change?

Andy Rubin, one of the founding fathers of Android, approached Google about the open source mobile operating system back in 2004. Now he's stepping aside as head of the OS he helped to create, handing the reins over to Sundar Pichai, senior vice president for Chrome and Apps, Google CEO Larry Page announced in a blog post today. Rubin is off to start a new chapter at Google, while Pichai will likely focus on making Android easier to use.
Android isn't particularly difficult to get the swing of anyway, so suggests its share of the mobile market, which is now well ahead of Apple's iOS platform. Even still, Google points out Sundar has a knack for "creating products that are technically excellent yet easy to use," and now he'll use that talent to double down on Android as the ecosystem moves forward.
"We’re getting closer to a world where technology takes care of the hard work—discovery, organization, communication—so that you can get on with what makes you happiest… living and loving. It’s an exciting time to be at Google," Page stated in a blog post.
What's also exciting is the potential for Android under Sundar's leadership. Given his obvious ties to Google's Chrome OS, it's entirely possible he'll work to intertwine the two so that Android apps will run on Chromebooks. Whatever the case may be, he has big shoes to fill.
Android is the most popular mobile OS in the world. It has the backing of more than 60 manufacturers, and over 750 million Android devices have been activated to date. In terms of app downloads from Google play, that number stands at 25 billion.
"Pretty extraordinary progress for a decade’s work," Page added.
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