Andy Rubin takes leave from Essential after report he left Google following misconduct probe
EDWARD C. BAIG | USA TODAY
1:14 p.m. CST Nov. 29, 2017
Andy Rubin is taking a leave of absence from his smartphone firm Essential after a report the co-creator of the Android operating system left his previous job at Google following a probe into an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
In a statement, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Essential said Rubin asked the board for the leave earlier this month, "to deal with personal matters." Essential president Niccolo de Masi will continue to run day-to day operations at the company.
Citing three unnamed sources, The Information tech industry website said Rubin left his nine-year stint at Google in 2014 after the search engine giant initiated an investigation, sparked by a employee's complaint to Google's human resources division about her relationship with Rubin.
Google HR policy prohibits supervisors from having a relationship with a subordinate and requires the supervisor to report the relationship to HR. The woman making the complaint worked in the Android division while Rubin ran it, The Informationsaid.
Google didn't immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for comment
In the article, Rubin’s spokesperson Mike Sitrick denied that Rubin had done anything wrong or that the investigation led to Rubin’s departure from Google. Sitrick added that any relationship Rubin had at Google was “consensual.” Rubin had previously said the decision to be leave Google was his.
Sitrick has not responded to a USA TODAY request for comment.
Rubin has had a storied career with stops, among other places, at Apple and General Magic. In the late 1990s, he co-founded Danger, which produced a cool-for-its-time wireless communicator called Hiptop, branded eventually as the T-Mobile Sidekick.
He went on to co-create the Android operating system, which was eventually absorbed into Google. Since leaving Google, Rubin founded a venture fund Playground Global, as well as Essential.
More: Harvey Weinstein effect: Men are getting outed and some are getting fired as women speak up. And it's spreading.
In recent months, a number of women in tech, media and entertainment have come forward with details of sexual harassment and other misconduct in the workplace that's led to the ousters of high-profile execs and well-known media figures, and laid bare how much bad behavior was allowed to flourish behind the scenes.
On Wednesday, longtime radio host and writer Garrison Keillor confirmed that he was fired by Minnesota Public Radio, over accusations of improper behavior. And NBC fired veteran Today Show co-anchor Matt Lauer for "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace."
More: Garrison Keillor fired for alleged 'inappropriate behavior' by Minnesota Public Radio
More: Matt Lauer fired from NBC for 'inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace'
More: An 'Essential' phone? Not so much
More: An 'Essential' phone? Not so much
Rubin has had bold ambitions for the Essential phone, a logo-free device with a new cord-free magnetic connector for accessories that was supposed to make the device “future proof.”
But the phone hasn’t sold well and on Cyber Monday was listed for under $400, or not quite half its launch price
EDWARD C. BAIG | USA TODAY
1:14 p.m. CST Nov. 29, 2017
Andy Rubin is taking a leave of absence from his smartphone firm Essential after a report the co-creator of the Android operating system left his previous job at Google following a probe into an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
In a statement, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Essential said Rubin asked the board for the leave earlier this month, "to deal with personal matters." Essential president Niccolo de Masi will continue to run day-to day operations at the company.
Citing three unnamed sources, The Information tech industry website said Rubin left his nine-year stint at Google in 2014 after the search engine giant initiated an investigation, sparked by a employee's complaint to Google's human resources division about her relationship with Rubin.
Google HR policy prohibits supervisors from having a relationship with a subordinate and requires the supervisor to report the relationship to HR. The woman making the complaint worked in the Android division while Rubin ran it, The Informationsaid.
Google didn't immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for comment
In the article, Rubin’s spokesperson Mike Sitrick denied that Rubin had done anything wrong or that the investigation led to Rubin’s departure from Google. Sitrick added that any relationship Rubin had at Google was “consensual.” Rubin had previously said the decision to be leave Google was his.
Sitrick has not responded to a USA TODAY request for comment.
Rubin has had a storied career with stops, among other places, at Apple and General Magic. In the late 1990s, he co-founded Danger, which produced a cool-for-its-time wireless communicator called Hiptop, branded eventually as the T-Mobile Sidekick.
He went on to co-create the Android operating system, which was eventually absorbed into Google. Since leaving Google, Rubin founded a venture fund Playground Global, as well as Essential.
More: Harvey Weinstein effect: Men are getting outed and some are getting fired as women speak up. And it's spreading.
In recent months, a number of women in tech, media and entertainment have come forward with details of sexual harassment and other misconduct in the workplace that's led to the ousters of high-profile execs and well-known media figures, and laid bare how much bad behavior was allowed to flourish behind the scenes.
On Wednesday, longtime radio host and writer Garrison Keillor confirmed that he was fired by Minnesota Public Radio, over accusations of improper behavior. And NBC fired veteran Today Show co-anchor Matt Lauer for "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace."
More: Garrison Keillor fired for alleged 'inappropriate behavior' by Minnesota Public Radio
More: Matt Lauer fired from NBC for 'inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace'
More: An 'Essential' phone? Not so much
More: An 'Essential' phone? Not so much
Rubin has had bold ambitions for the Essential phone, a logo-free device with a new cord-free magnetic connector for accessories that was supposed to make the device “future proof.”
But the phone hasn’t sold well and on Cyber Monday was listed for under $400, or not quite half its launch price
