Google Hires Apple Veteran to Help Kill Android

Google intends to kill Android soon, and the tech giant hired a 14-year Apple veteran to speed up the process.

Back in 2016, we learned that Google was working on an entirely new operating system to replace Android and Chrome. Fuchsia, as it is called, is a unified operating system that works on smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Although it’ll run Android, Fuchsia will hopefully function at a larger scale. So, aside from traditional devices, the new OS should support smart speakers, watches, TVs, and even driverless cars.

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In the end, Fuchsia will become the one operating system to “rule them all”. As you may have guessed, it’s Google’s answer to controlling the growing Internet of Things market.

While the tech giant is nowhere near releasing Fuchsia yet, it hired Apple veteran Bill Stevenson to speed up the development process.

Stevenson wrote in a LinkedIn post, “I’m excited to share that this February, I will be joining Google to help a new operating system called Fuchsia to market.”

Now you’re wondering, why poach a competitor’s employee to get the job done?

According to reports, this could be an indication that Google is considering the product aspect of Fuchsia. Google could shift focus from the technical point of the new OS to launch, releases, and marketing plans. Bill Stevenson happens to be an expert at these.

The 14-year veteran started as a Product Release Engineer for OS X and transitioned into the senior engineering program management within four years.

In 2012, Stevenson became a senior manager for Mac/Windows Program Management and contributed to every significant update ever since. From OS X Lion to the current macOS Mojave, the veteran engineer had a hand in it all.

Since Stevenson is now working with Google, it could mean a Fuchsia product release could be closer than we all think. However, that is a bit of a pipe dream.

According to a 2018 report, Google intends to release a Fuchsia powered smart speaker and a couple of phones and laptops as a starting point. However, the timeline is still uncertain and could be between three to six years.

Whatever the case may be, Google is replacing Android, and a former Apple employee may be the linchpin.