Google Hires Former Amazon and Apple Hardware Chief

Apple and Android app developers have been watching Google go through a slow-motion metamorphosis the past few years. With the release of the Pixel phones and a new hardware line, the direction of that change is becoming clear: Google is becoming a lot more like Apple. In the process, they’re capturing more of the upscale tech market than developers and consumers might have expected.

To drive the point home, reports have surfaced that the company recently hired David Foster to run their hardware line. Given that Foster formerly ran hardware for Amazon and served as senior director at Apple earlier in his career, it’s no surprise that Google would want him on board to shepard their hardware ecosystem through the growing pains of infancy and into the hands of mainstream techies.

This is good new for Los Angeles mobile app developers, who have been increasingly looking outside the Apple-saturated US market for startup opportunities. When it comes to fast-growing markets in India, Africa, and South America, Android is still king. Startups that solve problems for audiences who’ve recently crossed the digital divide could find huge opportunities in coming years, and having a major US player like Google shepherding the Android OS into the future will be a major asset.

Active development of Android by Google also makes it a more serious contender as a first platform for small US startups, who have traditionally started with iOS and then branched out to Android once the concept is proven within the Apple ecosystem. App developers always benefit from choice and diversity, and having another Apple-scale player in the consumer smartphone hardware space will only benefit the tech community.