HTC’s lead designer announces his departure after less than a year

In 2008, HTC acquired design firm One & Co to help bolster its smartphone team. Slowly but surely, however, the team has disintegrated to the point that as of tonight, only one of the design team members remains. HTC’s VP of Industrial Design, Jonah Becker, announced on Twitter tonight that he is leaving the company. Becker was named vice president less than a year ago.

Prior to Becker, Scott Croyle held the title of VP of Industrial Design. Croyle was also a member of the One & Co team. Now that Becker is leaving, however, Claude Zellweger is the last remaining principal of the One & Co team at HTC.

HTC said in a statement to Engadget that Creative Director Daniel Hundt will take over Becker’s position. Becker’s departure comes just a week after HTC’s CEO Peter Chou stepped down and chairwoman Cher Wang was named his replacement. Chou now focuses on the company’s Future Development Lab.

HTC has not given any reasoning for Becker’s departure. Although Engadget, according to its sources, claims that there is an “ever increasing power struggle between the design team and sales team these days.”

It's been an amazing seventeen year journey with One & Co and HTC, but it's time for a new adventure. Stay tuned for details of what's next.

— Jonah Becker (@JonahABecker) March 26, 2015

The full statement from HTC regarding the departure of VP of Industrial Design, Jonah Becker, is below:

We can confirm that Jonah Becker has left HTC; he had been with the Company since HTC acquired One & Co over six years ago. We would like to thank Jonah for his work with HTC, and wish him all the best in his future endeavours. He has been succeeded by Daniel Hundt, based in our San Francisco design office.