Andy Rubin, the founder of Google’s Android and current CEO of Essential, is taking a month-long leave from Essential for “personal reasons.” At the same time, a report of an “inappropriate relationship” at Google has surfaced.
A report from The Information claims that Google’s HR division conducted an investigation into Rubin after a complaint and found that he maintained an “inappropriate relationship” with a subordinate while at the Internet giant. Google policy forbids a romantic relationship between supervisors and subordinates, and Google’s investigation apparently concluded that “Rubin’s behavior was improper and showed bad judgement.” (Although Google cofounder Sergey Brin ran the Google Glass team and dated the Google Glass marketing manager, Amanda Rosenberg.)
Rubin’s spokesperson, Mike Sitrick, gave a response to The Information, starting with “Any relationship that Mr. Rubin had while at Google was consensual” (it’s important to mention in a post-Weinstein world that no one disputes this). Google’s investigation reportedly only says that Rubin should not have had a consensual relationship with a subordinate. Sitrick also denies that Rubin was even told about the investigation, saying “Mr. Rubin was never told by Google that he engaged in any misconduct while at Google, and he did not, either while at Google or since.”
The most interesting aspect of The Information’s report is that it suggests that Rubin left Google because of the investigation results, saying Rubin left Google “shortly” after the investigation finished. This scenario would make a lot of sense, since Rubin’s Google departure was very sudden. Rubin had left the Android team to start a new Google Robotics division. He spent heaps of money acquiring nine top companies in the robotics space, only to suddenly and surprisingly abandon the group and leave Google only a year later.
According to a report from Business Insider, Rubin was personally involved in the purchase of each company acquired by Google, and many of the robotics employees felt “confused and disappointed” when Rubin left. Rubin’s departure didn’t seem at all like a planned event. Google didn’t have a replacement leader for the robotics group when Rubin left, and, from the outside, it seems like Google’s robotics group more or less collapsed without him at the helm. Google ended up selling the highest profile company, Boston Dynamics, to SoftBank.
The Verge has Essential’s side of the story. A spokesperson told the site, “At our last regularly scheduled board meeting earlier in November, Andy asked for a leave of absence to deal with personal matters. The board agreed and our president, Niccolo de Masi, will continue to run day-to-day operations at Essential.”
Rubin’s leave of absence probably won’t affect Essential much, since Rubin is only leaving for a month. The company’s main product, the Essential Phone, has been getting steep discounts with a seemingly permanent $200 price drop and another $100 taken off the phone for holiday sales, allowing some to buy the $699 phone for $399. Essential supposedly has a second product in the works—a smart home hub with a custom OS—but we’ve yet to see a release date for the product.