Andy Rubin has moved on from Android, the mobile operating system product he created, to take on new projects.
In a press release, Google (GOOG 2.00%) CEO Larry Page said that, after seeing Android become the most used mobile OS in the world, Rubin's decided to hand over the reins to try something new.
Before Sergey Brin and Page heard about Android in 2004, Google had worked to customize its products on more than 100 phones to perfect the mobile experience. Since then, Android has partnered with more than 60 global manufacturers. The result: More than 750 million devices have been activated globally and 25 billion apps have been downloaded from Google Play, the company's app store.
Page has appointed Sundar Pichai to replace Rubin. Although he says Pichai will have a "hard act to follow," he's confident that he's up to the challenge. Despite a highly competitive browser market in 2008, Pichai helped make Chrome fast, simple, secure, and popular. He will take on Android responsibilities in conjunction with his work on Chrome and Apps.
