'Father of Android' Andy Rubin is plotting a return to hardware

[Becky]

Andy Rubin is a former employee of Google, and during his time there he oversaw the development of Android. His new company, Essential, has been taking on former Android engineers, and according to recent reports he is looking to create a smartphone that will act as a hub for smart home gadgets.

Just over two years after leaving Google, Andy Rubin is preparing to take on the smartphone industry he helped create.

Rubin, creator of the Android operating system, is planning to marry his background in software with artificial intelligence in a risky business: consumer hardware. Armed with about a 40-person team, filled with recruits from Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, Rubin is preparing to announce a new company called Essential and serve as its Chief Executive Officer, according to people familiar with the matter.

A platform company designed to tie multiple devices together, Essential is working on a suite of consumer hardware products, including ones for the mobile and smart home markets, one of the people said.

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