Google's top Android exec steps down Andy Rubin has stepped down as the executive in charge of Google's Android operating system. ANDY Rubin has stepped down as the executive in charge of Google's Android operating system for smartphones and tablet computers, ending a seven-year reign that reshaped the technology industry. The unexpected change announced on Wednesday may raise new questions about Android's direction as Google duels with Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp and a long list of other companies in the increasingly important mobile computing market. Google is replacing Rubin with Sundar Pichai, an executive in charge of the company's Chrome web browser and operating system for lightweight laptop computers. That move may heighten recurring speculation the Chrome operating system eventually will supplant Android. Google executives so far only have said they want to make sure the two operating systems can operate cohesively together. Pichai is a logical choice to succeed Rubin because there is probably going to be even more "natural confluence" between the Android and Chrome systems in the next few years, said Edward Jones analyst Josh Olson. In a Wednesday blog post, Google CEO Larry Page said Rubin, 50, had reached a stage in his career where he wanted to try something different after devoting so much time and energy to Android. Rubin, a longtime gadget lover who once worked at Apple, hatched Android at a startup Google bought in 2005, when accessing the internet from a mobile phone was still an exercise in frustration. "Having exceeded even the crazy ambitious goals we dreamed of for Android - and with a really strong leadership team in place - Andy's decided it's time to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google," Page wrote. The company declined to disclose what Rubin's new role would be. Google Inc's stock dipped $US2.30 on Wednesday to close at $US825.31.