Erick Tseng leaves Google and Android... for Facebook
Looks like Google's Android team is being shaken up a little: senior product manager Erick Tseng just announced on Twitter that he's leaving for a new position at Facebook. You might remember Erick from his appearance on The Engadget Show and a brief video we did with him at CES -- he was an instrumental part of the Android team, and a pretty great interview to boot. We'll see how Google decides to fill his shoes, but for now let's wish Erick luck with the new gig -- we're sure he's got a million new friend requests coming his way.























Ill take his spot
@racerbmw
I wonder if he's going to help with the Facebook/Apple Social Integration...
@racerbmw I'd like to see the old veteran OPK former Nokia CEO managing the Android team with his famous ""If there is something good in the world then we copy with pride" and poof android turns into symbian. ;)
@Ryan Deen
Me wants a Google paycheck.
Can we add this to the "fragmentation"? lol
@Ryan Deen Or the Microsoft (Kin and others)/Facebook integration. Don't forget MS owns 1.6% of Facebook.
@racerbmw
Wow...bold move, going from a company that has a clear and functioning business model and source of revenue to one that is...much less clear.
Facebook will go the way of Myspace, Xanga, Livejournal, Geocities and the AOL profile. All empires will fade, and this one will quickly implode. Facebook doesn't make money...they didn't declare profitability until they had 700Million users...how many are bots? how many are just data-miners? Regardless, they still have not detailed their profit margins...all that data hosting must cost a pretty penny too.
Digital ponzi scheme....Bernie Madoff should've learned from Zucker.
He leaves Google and a team that is a top priority for Google to work on Facebook's mobile division? What an idiot. Facebook will go the way of Myspace when the next fad replaces it.
@nicholas1987ucsb
all those mentsion networking sites didn't have the support that Facebook has now, phones are making it a standard now a days. Its far from dead IMHO
@racerbmw : Who the hell is 3? :)
@treats
I'm sure he's hoping for an IPO payday. If they can go public and cash out before they fade too much then he'll make millions.
@racerbmw
maybe us android users will finally get a GOOD facebook app!
WHOOHOO!
@racerbmw
He's smart for doing it. He obviously received a huge sum of money from Apple, to piss off Google, /and/ to work on the iPhone 4.0 social integration.
He's not stupid if he headed the Android division of Google.
@treats
"Facebook will go the way of Myspace when the next fad replaces it."
Wow, I havent heard a more clueless response than this one. I know youre just joking, because only a complete idiot would state this. You know facebook has 500 million visitors worldwide, and the only company with more unique visitors is google, right? You know that facebook won the only identity war with facebook connect, something myspace never did, right? You know that the whole "social networks come and go" is a bs statement because its only occured once, from myspace to facebook, right?
Do you know how many sites died and became a fad after becoming the 2nd biggest site in the world? 0. You're a joke with no supporting evidence other than myspace dying to facebook. that doesnt mean social networks are fads, it means myspace sucked so bad people moved on.
You give android this pedastal of greatness. Ever use it? it feels hacked together. Its apps are so much worse than their iphone or webOS counterparts that it is laughable. nexus one icon i see, the screens touch response was so horrible... dont put it in your pocket like a normal phone, it might crack! oh did i mention its design was the ugliest of all phones ive ever seen? 2 tone grey and a redundant trackball on a touchscreen phone? amazing... that makes a lot of sense....
@nicholas1987ucsb
gasp
how can you forget about friendster
@racerbmw
Whatever his spot was at Google, it probably pales in comparison to this one, total package considered. So I fail to see why some are calling him an idiot. Google has $$, true, but how much of it were they giving to him?
@racerbmw Its good it was not the android-god andy rubin. http://bit.ly/nexus-one-flash-updates-and-mashup
Congrats and Good luck!!
@Gettanked2 This is google preparing to take over FB. Having guys on the inside always makes it easier :)
@Gettanked2
Hopefully this means the Facebook App for Android will see some improvements.
@Gettanked2
For real, the built in share functionality is currently busted.
@Gettanked2
He'll need the luck. Why he would leave Google for the disaster that is Facebook is beyond me.
@Mr Blue Exact same thing I thought. Right now it bloooooows.
The irony that is his avatar.
@furquanatique
believe it or not, Facebook knows MUCH more than you think...
@furquanatique I always feel like somebody is watching me...
@furquanatique Beat me to it.
@furquanatique
well, between google that knows everything about us, and facebook that does to...
ETSeng - Erick The Spy?
@Unverified User
He should create a tech blog called Tsengadget!
@ChazClout Im so buying that domain name, just in case...
Engadget covers social media?
@travisonfire
Tseng has value to Engadget, considering he was interviewed twice, or something.
Also, it means that someone new could bring some interesting changes to Android.
I don't know about you, but if I had to choose between working at Google and working at Facebook, I would choose Google in a heartbeat.
@Giantenemycrab I know a few people that have left Google. It's great, but not for everyone.
@Giantenemycrab Same here.
I dunno... I just feel like the stuff coming from Google requires some amount of creativity, while Facebook is just kinda plodding along, making itsy-bitsy changes without warning and pissing off all its users all over again. :/
@Giantenemycrab
I'm not sure I could work for a place that expects me to never want to leave...no matter what they pay me (maybe, if we're talking early retirement kind of money). The perks are so good, because they don't want you to have a life outside of their world.
@Giantenemycrab
I dont know about you, but I'd probably go with the one that was offering me the most money.
@ppmcdoodles You poor man/woman (not wealth-wise), and I mean that with some sincerity. There's a reason why Google has been rated the top place in the US to work and there's things that are more important to happiness than money, namely happiness in-and-of-itself.
And no, I'm not saying you can't be happy at facebook, just saying how much the comment lacks.
@juanvaldez Step out of the clouds Juan. While I certainly see your point and agree with you whole heartedly, everyone has a price. There is a certain point where most everyone would be willing to sacrifice a little happiness for a boat load of dough.
As I said somwhere else, Froyo will be a huge success. He's going out on a high note. Now its time to get paid... maybe get paid so much he can start considering plans for an early retirement. Thats got happines written all over it.
@ppmcdoodles Actually, when you have enough money, the rest is just change. If you only need a million to have everything you want, somebody offering you $1,010,000 isn't worth much. The rest would be just a matter of what do you want to do more.
Peace foo
I'm sure Google will never recover...
Are you sure that's really a I'm leaving statement??
Dang 150 char. tweets :p
hopefully the android facebook app gets a well needed update
@inertone I must admit that I prefer to just use Facebook's website on my N1 rather than the App - it seems to work far better in every way.
Tseng gone, John Lilly from Mozilla gone.
Today is an interesting day.
Wow, leaving Google for anyone else deserves a slap in the face to get you back to your senses. Leaving Google for Facebook, of all places, deserves a firm kick to the jumblies.
@whySoSerious
Agreed...who would leave google for facebook?
There must have been some other reason for him leaving.
@DoctarPeppar Bribery! IT'S A CONSPIRACY!