Andy Rubin Steps Down at Google's Android

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Big changes are coming out of Google (GOOG), as Android boss Andy Rubin is leaving the division and moving on at Google.

In a post to Google's official blog, CEO Larry Page wrote that Rubin, who founded Android and sold it later to Google, has decided to step down.

"Andy's decided it's time to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google," Page wrote in the letter.

Taking over for Rubin will be Sundar Pichai. Currently, Pichai leads the Chrome and Apps teams.

Rubin first brought the attention of Android to Google in 2004, when he visited the Internet search giant.

"He believed that aligning standards around an open-source operating system would drive innovation across the mobile industry," Page wrote on the blog. "Most people thought he was nuts. But his insight immediately struck a chord because at the time it was extremely painful developing services for mobile devices."

Android is the world's leading smartphone operating system, surpassing Apple's (GOOG) iOS in the United States, with 53.4% of the smartphone market, per comScore's most recent data. Android is also poised to surpass iOS on tablets, owning 48.8% of the market, compared to 46% for iOS, per IDC.

Google shares were lower on the day, losing 0.56% to $823.

--Written by Chris Ciaccia in New York

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