The head of Alphabet’s Platforms and Devices, Rick Osterloh, has reassured Android OEMs, developers, and carriers of its overall strategy after Google’s internal reorganization.
Google previously maintained a separation between its Android software and Pixel hardware, but this separation was dissolved when both teams were merged under the new Platforms and Devices division.
Osterloh promises that the reorganization brings together all the right teams to make Google an “even better” partner to the entire Android ecosystem.
Google recently announced that it was merging its Android and hardware teams. This internal reorganization would enable the company to move more quickly to integrate AI across its portfolio. A new department called Platforms and Devices, headed by Rick Osterloh, was created within Alphabet, combining its hardware and software teams.
This is a major internal reorganization that will change the way Google approaches several of its platforms. Google has always maintained a certain level of separation between its software efforts and hardware initiatives, especially for mobile devices. For instance, Android (software) was a separate team from Pixel (hardware), as Osterloh mentioned to The Verge:
