Google has completed its £8 billion takeover of Motorola Mobility and installed Dennis Woodside as CEO, the search giant has confirmed.
Motorola will be run by Google as a separate business, with the company claiming that the acquisition “will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing.”
Page confirmed that Sanjay Jha has stepped down as CEO from Motorola Mobility, which was formed when Motorola’s handset operation was separated from its business division in December 2010. Woodside, who oversaw Google’s acquisition, has replaced him, but Jha will work towards ensuring the transition is a smooth one.
“Motorola literally invented the entire mobile industry with the first-ever commercial cell phone in 1983. Thirty years later, mobile devices are at the center of the computing revolution,” commented Woodside. “Our aim is simple: to focus Motorola Mobility’s remarkable talent on fewer, bigger bets, and create wonderful devices that are used by people around the world.”
Google has confirmed that Android will remain an open system and Page was keen to stress the importance of mobile to the company’s future strategy.
“Many users coming online today may never use a desktop machine, and the impact of that transition will be profound-as will the ability to just tap and pay with your phone,” said Page. “That’s why it’s a great time to be in the mobile business, and why I’m confident Dennis and the team at Motorola will be creating the next generation of mobile devices that will improve lives for years to come.”
The takeover overcame the last major regulatory hurdle yesterday when the Chinese authorities gave their conditional approval, providing that Android remained freely available to manufacturers without discrimination for five years. The European Union gave its consent to the acquisition in February.
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Motorola's "big, early bet on Android" are the reason why they survive today while Nokia who are by most accounts a much better hardware (and software) manufacturer are facing a slow painful demise and ultimately a Microsoft takeover.