Andy Rubin is an American entrepreneur and technologist best known as the co-founder and CEO of Android Inc., the mobile operating system acquired by Google in 2005 that grew to power billions of devices worldwide.

Early Career and Mobile Innovations

Rubin earned a degree in Computer Science from Utica College in 1986. He began his career as a robotics engineer at Carl Zeiss AG before working at Apple from 1989 to 1992 as a manufacturing engineer. It was during his time at Apple that colleagues gave him the nickname “Android” because of his passion for robotics.

After roles at General Magic and Microsoft WebTV, Rubin co-founded Danger Inc. in 1999. Danger created the T-Mobile Sidekick, a pioneering internet-connected mobile device popularized by cultural icons such as Paris Hilton, Tony Hawk, Travis Barker and Kim Kardashian.

The Android Era and Google

In 2003, Rubin co-founded Android Inc. to develop an open-source platform for smart mobile devices. Google acquired Android in 2005, retaining Rubin as Senior Vice President. Under his nine-year tenure, Android expanded into the world’s most widely used mobile operating system.

In late 2013, Rubin shifted his focus within Alphabet to head its fledgling robotics division. During this period, he spearheaded the acquisition of several robotics companies, including Boston Dynamics and Tokyo-based humanoid startup Schaft.

Post-Google

Rubin established Playground Global in 2015, a hardware-focused venture fund and tech startup studio. That same year, he founded Essential Products, a consumer technology startup that released the Essential PH-1 ― the first smartphone featuring a titanium and ceramic build along with a through-display camera.

Back To Robotics

Rubin returned to his roots in robotics by co-founding Genki Robotics, a stealth humanoid robotics startup with offices in Tokyo and Palo Alto. Drawing its name from the Japanese word for “vibrant” or “energetic,” Genki Robotics focuses on building advanced humanoid robot systems and platform technologies. The venture re-united Rubin with co-founders who previously led Schaft to win the DARPA Robotics Challenge trials. Leveraging Japan’s hardware and engineering talent, precision manufacturing base, and robotics ecosystem, Genki is pioneering physical AI solutions to address the global unskilled labor shortage.