How Google Protected Andy Rubin, the ‘Father of Android’

SAN FRANCISCO — Google gave Andy Rubin, the creator of the robot mobile computer code, a hero’s farewell once he left the corporate in Gregorian calendar month 2014.

“I wish to would like Andy all the simplest with what’s next,” Larry Page, Google’s chief govt then, aforesaid in a very public statement. “With the robot, he created one thing actually outstanding — with a billion-plus happy user.”

Sign Up For the Morning making a known story

What Google failed to create public was that associate degree worker had defendant Mr. Rubin of sexual misconduct. The woman, with whom Mr. Rubin had been having associate degree illicit relationship, aforesaid he coerced her into playing head in a very bedchamber in 2013, per 2 company executives with data of the episode. Google investigated and all over her claim was credible, aforesaid the folks, WHO spoke on the condition that they not be named, citing confidentiality agreements. Mr. Rubin was notified, they said, and Mr. Page asked for his resignation.

Google may have pink-slipped Mr. Rubin and paid him very little to nada on the solution. Instead, the corporate handed him a $90 million exit package, paid in installments of regarding $2 million a month for four years, aforesaid 2 folks with data of the terms. The last payment is scheduled for next month.

Mr. Rubin was one among 3 executives that Google protected over the past decade once they were defendant of sexual misconduct. In 2 instances, it ousted senior executives, however, softened the blow by paying them ample greenbacks as they departed, even supposing it had no legal obligation to try to this. In a third, the manager remained in a very extremely remunerated post at the corporate. anytime Google stayed silent regarding the accusations against the lads.

The NY Times obtained company and court documents and spoke to quite 3 dozen current and former Google executives and staff regarding the episodes, together with some folks directly concerned in handling them. Most asked to stay anonymous as a result of they were certain by confidentiality agreements or feared retribution for speaking out.

The transgressions varied in severity. Mr. Rubin’s case stood out for a way abundant Google paid him and its silence on the circumstances of his departure. After Mr. Rubin left, the corporation invested with amplegreenbacks in his next venture.

Sam Singer, a representative for Mr. Rubin, controversial that the person had been told of any misconduct at Google and aforesaid he left the corporate of his own accord. Mr. Singer aforesaid that Mr. Rubin failed to interact in misconduct which “any relationship that Mr. Rubin had whereas at Google was accordant and failed to involve any individual WHO reportable on to him.”

While Mr. Rubin’s exit from Google once associate degree inappropriate relationship was antecedently reportable, the character of the accusation and also the money terms haven’t been disclosed.

In selecting terms favorable to 2 of the lads, Google protected its own interests. the corporate avoided untidy and dear legal fights, and unbroken them from operating for rivals as a part of the separation agreements.

When asked regarding Mr. Rubin and also the different cases, Eileen Naughton, Google’s VP for folks operations, aforesaid in a very statement that the corporation takes harassment seriously and reviews each criticism.

“We investigate and take action, together with termination,” she said. “In recent years, we’ve taken a very stance on inappropriate conduct by folks in positions of authority. We’re operating laborious to stay rising, however, we have a tendency to handle this kind of behavior.”

Some inside Google aforesaid that wasn’t enough.

“When Google covers up harassment and passes the trash, it contributes to associate degree atmosphere wherever folks don’t feel safe reportage misconduct,” aforesaid Liz Fong-Jones, a Google engineer for quite a decade associate degreed an activist on work problems. “They suspect that nothing can happen or, worse, that the lads are paid and also the girls are disregarded.”

‘I Was the Liability’

Google, based in 1998 by Mr. Page and Sergey Brin once they were Stanford graduate students, fostered a permissive work culture from the beginning.

In Silicon Valley, it’s wide familiar that Mr. Page had dated Marissa Mayer, one among the company’s 1stengineers WHO later became chief govt of Yahoo. (Both were single.) Eric statesman, Google’s former chief govt, once maintained a mistress to figure as an organization adviser, per four folks with data of the connection. And Mr. Brin, WHO together with Mr. Page owns the bulk of balloting shares in Google’s parent, Alphabet, had an accordant illicit affair with associate degree worker in 2014, aforesaid 3 staff with data of the connection.

David C. Drummond, WHO joined as general counsel in 2002, had an associate degree illicit relationship with Jennifer Blakely, a senior contract manager within the legal department WHO reportable to at least one of his deputies, she and different Google staff aforesaid. They began chemical analysis in 2004, mentioned having youngsters and had a son in 2007, once that Mr. Drummond disclosed their relationship to the corporate, she said.

Google then took action. Ms. Blakely aforesaid Stacy Sullivan, then the pinnacle of human resources and currently chief culture officer, told her that Google discouraged managers from having relationships with subordinates.

“One folk would get to leave the legal department,” Ms. Blakely aforesaid. “It was clear it’d not be David.”

Since the affair, Mr. Drummond’s career has flourished. he’s currently Alphabet’s chief legal officer and chairman of CapitalG, Google’s capital fund. He has reaped regarding $190 million from stock choices and awards since 2011 and will create quite $200 million on different choices and equity awards, per company filings.

Ms. Blakely was transferred to sales in 2007 and left Google a year later. the corporate asked her to sign the working language she had departed voluntarily. She aforesaid she “signed waivers, releases and no matter else they wished.”

In late 2008, she said, Mr. Drummond left her. They later fought a litigation for his or her son, she said, that she won.

How Mr. Drummond was treated “amplifies the message that for a choose few, there aren’t any consequences,” said Ms. Blakely, 54. “Google felt like I used to be the liability.”

Google’s harassment policy states that violators could also be terminated — however, it absolutely was versatile in however it implemented the foundations.

In 2013, Richard DeVaul, a director at Google X, the company’s analysis and development arm, interviewed Star Simpson, a hardware engineer. throughout the duty interview, she aforesaid he told her that he and his spouse were “polyamorous,” a word typically accustomed to describe associate degree union. She aforesaid invited her to Burning Man, associate degree annual pageant within the Sagebrush State desert, the subsequent week.

Ms. Simpson went along with her mother and aforesaid she thought it absolutely was a chance to speak to Mr. DeVaul regarding the duty. She aforesaid she brought conservative garments appropriate for an expert meeting.

At Mr. DeVaul’s encampment, Ms. Simpson aforesaid, he asked her to get rid of her shirt and offered a back rub. She aforesaid she refused. once he insisted, she aforesaid she relented to a neck rub.

“I didn’t have enough spine or backbone to shut that down as a 24-year-old,” said Ms. Simpson, now 30.

A few weeks later, Google told her she failed to get the duty, while not explaining why.

She waited 2 years to report the episode to Google once she aforesaid she wrestled with talking regarding it. an individual’s resources official later told her that her account was “more possible than not” true which“appropriate action” was taken. She aforesaid the officer asked her to remain quiet regarding what had happened, that she did — till Mr. DeVaul’s public profile began rising in articles within the NY Times and also the Atlantic.

“We would ne’er tell a litigant to remain quiet,” Chelsea Bailey, the pinnacle of human resources at X, aforesaid in a very statement, adding that officers investigated and “took acceptable corrective action.” She declined to mention what that was, citing worker confidentiality.

In a statement, Mr. DeVaul apologized for associate degree “error of judgment.” He aforesaid X determined to not rent Ms. Simpson before she visited Burning Man which he failed to understand she had not been known.

In another harassment case, Google paid Amit Singhal, a senior VP WHO headed search, ample greenbacks the solution.

In 2015, associate degree worker aforesaid Mr. Singhal groped her at a drunken off-site event attended by dozens of colleagues, aforesaid 3 those that were briefed on the incident. Google investigated and located that Mr. Singhal was pissed and there have been no witnesses, they said.

Google found her claim credible, they said. the corporate failed to hearth Mr. Singhal, however, accepted his resignation associate degreed negotiated an exit package that paid him millions and prevented him from operating for a challenger, aforesaid the folks.

In a weblog post in Feb 2016, Mr. Singhal aforesaid he wished to focus a lot of on philanthropic gift and his family.

With Google silent regarding the circumstances of Mr. Singhal’s departure, he found another profitable job. but a year later, he became head of engineering at the ride-hailing company Uber. Weeks later, the technology news website rearranges reportable that Mr. Singhal had left Google once a misconduct accusation. Uber unemployed Mr. Singhal for not revealing the inquiry.

Uber and Mr. Singhal declined to comment. in a very statement last year, the aforesaid that “harassment is unacceptable in any setting” which he had not engaged in any such behavior.

The $350 Million Man

Mr. Rubin joined Google in 2005 once it noninheritable his start-up, Android, for $50 million. Over successivefew years, he helped build robot — the computer code currently utilized in eighty % of the world’s smartphones — into a large success.

The search had positioned Google as a dominant player on desktop computers, however robot extended its reach and place Google’s maps, email and application program on devices that folks carry daily. The ads and mobile apps running on robot additionally generated tens of billions of greenbacks in profit.

That success gave Mr. Rubin a lot of latitude than most Google executives, aforesaid four those that worked with him.

Mr. Rubin typically berated subordinates as stupid or incompetent, they said. Google did very little to curb that behavior. It took action only if staff found bondage sex videos on Mr. Rubin’s work laptop, aforesaid 3former and current Google executives briefed on the incident. That year, the corporate docked his bonus, they said.

Mr. Singer, the representative for Mr. Rubin, aforesaid the manager “is familiar to be clear and forthcoming along with his feedback.” He aforesaid Mr. Rubin ne’er known as anyone incompetent.

Mr. Rubin, 55, WHO met his spouse at Google, additionally dated different girls at the corporate whereasmarried, aforesaid four those that worked with him. In 2011, he had a accordant relationship with a girl on the robot team WHO failed to report back to him, they said. They aforesaid Google’s human resources department wasn’t knowledgeable, despite rules requiring revealing once managers date somebody WHOdirectly or indirectly reports to them.

In a lawsuit filed this month by Mr. Rubin’s ex-wife, Rie Rubin, she claimed he had multiple “ownership relationships” with different girls throughout their wedding, paying many thousands of greenbacks to them. The couple was unmarried in August.

The suit enclosed a screenshot of associate degree August 2015 email Mr. Rubin sent to at least one girl. “You are happy being taken care of,” he wrote. “Being closely-held is sort of such as you square measure my property, and that i will loan you to others.”

In 2011, Mr. Rubin was appointed a Google senior vp and began receiving regarding $20 million a year in pay, bonus and stock-based compensation, aforesaid 2 former Google executives with data of the terms. In 2012, Google additionally season Mr. Rubin $14 million to shop for a beach estate in Japan. The loan was offered at below one % interest, aforesaid folks briefed on the dealing.

When Google combined management of robot with its Chrome division in 2013, Mr. Rubin lost an influencestruggle to Sundar Pichai, Google’s current chief govt.

He remained extremely valued. That year, Google offered Mr. Rubin a one-time bonus of $40 million available and a further $72 million of stock over successive 2 years, aforesaid 2 folks with data of the terms.

Mr. Rubin engineered a AI division inside Google named Replicant. throughout a six-month span in 2013, he spent associate degree calculable $90 million to shop for eight AI corporations.

Around that point, Mr. Rubin was nonchalantly seeing another girl he knew from robot, per 2 company executives briefed on the connection. the 2 had started chemical analysis in 2012 once he was still leading the division, these folks aforesaid.

By 2013, she had cooled on him and wished to interrupt things off however disquieted it’d have an effect on her career, aforesaid the folks. That March, she in agreement to satisfy him at a edifice, wherever she aforesaid he pressured her into head, they said. The incident concluded the connection.

The woman waited till 2014 before filing a criticism to Google’s human resources department and telling officers regarding the connection, the folks aforesaid. Google began associate degree investigation.

In September 2014, many weeks into the inquiry, Google’s board of administrators awarded Mr. Rubin a stock grant price $150 million, to be paid out over many years, aforesaid 3 folks briefed on the choice. it absolutely was a bizarrely generous total, even by Google’s standards.

Mr. Page usually recommends what proportion senior executives square measure paid, aforesaid 3 former Google executives. Over the years, Mr. Page had told folks he felt Mr. Rubin was ne’er properly remuneratedfor his contribution to robot, 2 those that spoke to him aforesaid.

The $150 million stock grant to Mr. Rubin was approved by the Google board’s leadership development and compensation committee — composed of Paul Otellini, Intel’s former chief govt WHO died in 2017, and 2 of Google’s earliest investors, John Doerr of the capital firm Kleiner Perkins and Ram Shriram of the venture firm Sherpalo Ventures.

It is unclear if Mr. Page or the board knew of the investigation into the harassment criticism once Google approved the $150 million grant for Mr. Rubin. Mr. Page failed to reply to letter of invitation for a comment; Mr. Doerr and Mr. Shriram declined to comment.

Google’s inquiry ultimately found the criticism against Mr. Rubin credible, aforesaid the 2 company executives at home with the incident. While Mr. Rubin denied the accusation, it became clear that — at the terribly least — the connection was inappropriate, they said. Mr. Page determined Mr. Rubin ought to leave, they said.

The $150 million stock grant gave Mr. Rubin a massive leverage once he started negotiating his exit package a couple of month later. that’s as a result of associate degree executive’s stock compensation — and the way abundant of it they might leave behind — is commonly taken into thought throughout settlement talks.

When Google fires lower-level staff, it usually marches them out forthwith and pays very little, if any, severance. except for senior executives, Google weighs different factors, said, former executives. A wrongful termination suit may mean unwanted press attention for Google and also the victims of a misconduct case, with a loss leading to important damages.

In the end, Google paid Mr. Rubin $90 million, aforesaid 2 folks with data of the terms. The package was structured so he received $2.5 million a month for the primary 2 years and $1.25 million a month for the subsequent 2 years.

A provision within the separation agreement precluded Mr. Rubin from operating for rivals or derogatoryGoogle in public, they said. Google additionally delayed compensation of the $14 million loans.

The company then went out of its thanks to create Mr. Rubin’s departure appear peaceful, together withMr. Page’s public statement of feeling.

Afterward, Google invested with in Playground international, a venture firm Mr. Rubin started six months once departure the corporate. A playground has raised $800 million. He additionally based Essential, a maker of robot smartphones.

Last Nov, once the technology news website the knowledge reportable that Google had investigated Mr. Rubin for associate degree inappropriate relationship, he took a leave of absence from Essential. He has since came back to run it and is busy with speaking engagements and investments.

Mr. Rubin’s wealth, oxyacetylene by Google, has raised by thirty five times in but a decade. per his ex-wife’s lawsuit, his internet price is currently regarding $350 million, up from $10 million in 2009