Google poaches Amazon hardware boss David Foster
Google has poached Amazon’s former hardware chief David Foster to head up development of its new smartphone range as it amps up investment in own-brand hardware.
Serving Google as VP of product engineering Foster will be charged with leading development in the mobile sector following the anticipated launch of the Pixel and Pixel XL devices later today.
Foster boasts an illustrious career in the tech industry having previously served as a senior director at Apple between 1998 and 2004 before taking a year out at Gibson guitar company as CTO and returning to the technology fold with Microsoft as general manager for hardware.
From there he joined Amazon’s respected Lab126 in 2011 where his responsibilities included leading development of the Kindle and Kindle Fire lines in addition to Echo and Fire TV.
For his latest role Foster will report directly to former Motorola president Rick Osterloh.