A new report from The Information gives us a rare behind-the-scenes look at what’s going on with the Google Pixel division. According to the report, key Google players such as Rick Osterloh were disappointed with the company’s latest flagship, the Google Pixel 4. Even before the phone launched, internal excitement over the device was low.
Estimates show that the Pixel 4 is not selling well, even when compared to the previous Google Pixel 3 line. This, combined with the lack of enthusiasm for the device from leadership, has apparently led to two major players on the Pixel team exiting quietly months ago.
The first departed employee was Pixel general manager Mario Queiroz who had been with Google since 2005. He led the Pixel division from the beginning and was part of the launch of Google’s very first Android device, the Nexus One, in 2010.
The second employee who has left is Marc Levoy, who was largely responsible for the Google Pixel cameras. An expert in computational photography, Levoy is a big reason why Pixel cameras are so highly regarded. Levoy left Google in March with no announcement.
The next phone in the Pixel line will be the Google Pixel 4a, which was originally supposed to launch this week. However, all signs now point to that phone landing in early June.
It is unclear how this shake-up of the Pixel team, as well as the Pixel 4’s apparent lack of success, will affect that phone as well as the expected Google Pixel 5. However, it seems readily apparent that the Pixel team isn’t doing so hot at the moment.
This is a developing story…
More posts about Google
