Android is losing one of its long-time engineering leads. Dave Burke, VP of engineering at Android, said on Thursday that he is stepping down from the role after 14 years. However, he is not leaving Alphabet and will be exploring “AI/bio” projects within the company.
Burke was involved in pivotal projects at Android, including the Nexus and Pixel phones, developing Chrome for mobile phones, starting Android TV, and spearheading efforts to build and ship developer tools.
Burke’s move follows a slew of layoffs and restructuring at Alphabet this year. In January, the company laid off more than 1,000 employees, including most of its AR hardware team, and in April, Google combined its hardware and Android teams to focus on bringing AI to all its devices. That latter decision led to Hiroshi Lockheimer, who had headed Android, Chrome and ChromeOS, exploring other roles in the company, and Rick Osterloh, SVP of devices and services, was brought on to oversee the new division. Sameer Samat, who worked under Lockheimer, became the president of Android Ecosystem.
In a post on X, Burke said that he would continue as an advisor as he looks for another project.
So… after 14 yrs leading Android engineering, I’ve decided it’s time for a change. An awe-inspiring ride helping build the biggest OS on the planet (+ many Nexus/Pixel). I’m forever grateful for the opp. Continuing as advisor while figuring out what’s next in AI/bio. More here:…
— Dave Burke (@davey_burke) June 13, 2024
In a letter to his colleagues, which Burke also published on LinkedIn, he said he wanted to explore the role of AI in boosting drug discovery.
“AI has the potential to play a pivotal role in accelerating drug discovery, with wide applicability, including in hard-to-treat pediatric cancers, a topic close to my heart. I’m working with Sundar to explore relevant roles at Alphabet,” he said.