Andy Rubin reportedly had an ‘inappropriate relationship’ at Google, is temporarily stepping away from Essential

Andy Rubin, most notably known for being the co-creator of Android, made headlines back in 2013 when he left the mobile OS project as well as when he left Google entirely in 2014. While most have believed he left to start other ventures such as Essential, according to a report from The Information, Rubin departed from the search giant shortly after an internal investigation found evidence of him maintaining an “inappropriate relationship” with a female employee who worked for him…

Google reportedly began investigating the relationship after the woman in the situation filed a complaint with human resources sometime in 2014. The Information doesn’t share details of the relationship or why the claim was made to HR but when asked, Rubin’s spokesperson, Mike Sitrick, said that “[any] relationship that Mr. Rubin had while at Google was consensual.” He went on to say that “Mr. Rubin was never told by Google that he engaged in any misconduct while at Google and he did not, either while at Google or since.”

But what’s strange is that shortly after The Information reached out to Sitrick and informed him about its report, Rubin announced to Essential that he would be taking a leave of absence. As far as we know, Rubin did not state how long he would be gone or why he was stepping away.

Reportedly, the woman in the relationship worked on the Android team, reporting to Rubin himself. While relationships are permitted between Googlers, there are rules set in place requiring employees to inform the HR department so that one of the employees can be moved to a different team within the company. According to The Information, the investigation found “Rubin’s behavior was improper and showed bad judgment.”

Neither Rubin or Essential have given any statements regarding these allegations other than the statements provided by Sitrick as quoted above.

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