Weeks after taking a leave of absence from Essential, CEO Andy Rubin has returned to work, according to Recode.
Rubin took leave from his company in late November following a report in The Information about an “inappropriate relationship” prior to his departure from Google. A spokesperson for Rubin denied the allegations.
Recode notes that Essential and Rubin wouldn’t comment about the situation, but says that his return should help ease some worries about the company after the lackluster release of its first product, the Essential Phone. Rubin is also expected to be working on the company’s next product, the Essential Home, which is designed to take on smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home — but with a focus on local data processing to keep your information as far away from the cloud as possible. The Essential Home was reportedly said to arrive over the summer, but the company had been continually plagued with delays of its flagship smartphone.