Android VP Hugo Barra leaves Google, will reportedly join Chinese phone maker Xiaomi (updated)

Barely a month since he was flourishing Google's new Nexus 7 tablet, according to AllThingsD, Hugo Barra is apparently departing to join Xiaomi. Part of Google since March 2008, as the Vice President of product management for Android he's been a regular face to anyone that's watched Google I/O events and Nexus product launches over the past few years. Barra would follow Android creator Andy Rubin, who stepped away from the Android team three months earlier. If true, it'll be a huge score for Xiaomi, a company that goes from strength to strength in China, with smartphones that run on a heavily customized (and customizable) Android ROM. The company's also dabbled in smart TV boxes, which could make for a very familiar role for a former Googler. We've reached out to Google to confirm.

Update: We have received a statement from Google that confirms Hugo Barra's departure:

"We wish Hugo Barra the best. We'll miss him at Google and we're excited that he is staying within the Android ecosystem."

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile, Google

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Source: AllThingsD