Hugo Barra, who is vice president of Android product management at Google, is leaving to join three-year-old Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Xiaomi.
Mr Barra joined Google from language technology company Nuance 5 years ago, later moving to work on Android.
On his personal Google+ page, Mr Barra wrote “In a few weeks, I'll be joining the Xiaomi team in China to help them expand their incredible product portfolio and business globally - as Vice President, Xiaomi Global. I'm really looking forward to this new challenge, and am particularly excited about the opportunity to continue to help drive the Android ecosystem. It has been an amazing ride and true honor to be part of the Android team at Google.”
Xiaomi currently targets its Android-powered smartphones at the Chinese market, although Mr Barra’s new role indicates wider ambitions for the company.
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