Andy Rubin Leaves Essential After Google Scandal

Andy Rubin is making headlines again, but this time, the attention he’s getting is not due to an innovative device. Unfortunately, Rubin is in the midst of a scandal from his days at Google that made him choose to leave his new company, Essential.

The Information revealed that the man that made Android what it is today didn’t leave Google on the best of terms. In fact, he was in the middle of an investigation regarding an “inappropriate relationship” at work. It seems that Rubin broke one of the company’s rules, which is to not engage in an intimate relationship with a subordinate.

A woman who was working with Rubin at the time complained to Human Resources about their team leader. The report doesn’t specify what was the nature of the complaint or in what way did Rubin broke the contract.

A spokesman for Andy Rubin brought some light into the matter, though: “Any relationship that Mr. Rubin had while at Google was consensual”. He further stated that Google didn’t accuse Rubin of anything while he was working for them and that the Essential founder didn’t make any mistake of that kind since.

That said, the way this whole ordeal resurfaced this week shook Rubin to the core. Not long after the report spread online, Rubin announced he was taking a leave of absence from his startup “for personal reasons.” A spokesperson for Essential confirmed it, adding that President Niccolo de Masi would continue to run day to day operations.